treaty

English

Etymology

The noun is derived from Middle English trete, trety (“bargaining, negotiation; discussion; conference, meeting; entreaty, persuasion; agreement, contract, covenant; arrangement, settlement; agreement between two rulers, states, etc.; written work on a particular subject, treatise; subdivision of a written work, section”) , from Anglo-Norman treté, traité, treaté, and Old French traité, traitié  (modern French traité (“agreement between two rulers, states, etc.; treatise”)); traité or traitié is:

• a noun use of the past participle of traiter (“to treat; to deal with, handle”), from Latin tractāre, the present active infinitive of tractō (“to drag, haul, tug; to handle, manage; to debate, discuss; to exercise, practise; to perform, transact”), from trahō (“to drag, pull”) (probably ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *tregʰ- (“to drag, pull (?)”), a variant of *dʰregʰ- (“to drag, pull; to run”)) + -tō (frequentative suffix); and
• also from Latin tractātum (“written work on a particular subject, treatise”), from Latin tractātus (“dragged, hauled, tugged; handled, managed; exercised, practised; performed, transacted”), the perfect passive participle of tractō (see above).

The verb is derived from the noun.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈtɹiːti/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈtɹiti/, /-ɾi/

• Audio (GA)

  (file)

• (Ireland) IPA^(key): /ˈtɹiːti/, /ˈtɹiːəti/
• Rhymes: -iːti
• Hyphenation: trea‧ty

Noun

treaty (countable and uncountable, plural treaties)

1. (countable, international law) A formal binding agreement concluded by subjects of international law, namely, states and international organizations; a convention, a pact.

   to sign a peace treaty

   to write up a treaty touching climate change

   • 1622, Francis, Lord Verulam, Viscount St. Alban [i.e. Francis Bacon], The Historie of the Raigne of King Henry the Seventh, , London: W Stansby for Matthew Lownes, and William Barret, →OCLC, page 47:

     [T]he Duke of Britaine hauing beene an Hoſte, and a kind of Parent or Foſter-father to the King, in his tenderneſſe of age, and vveakneſſe of fortune, did looke for at this time from King Henry (the renovvned King of England) rather braue Troupes for his Succours, then a vaine Treatie of Peace.

   • 1724, [Gilbert] Burnet, “Book I. A Summary Recapitulation of the State of Affairs in Scotland, both in Church and State; ”, in , editor, Bishop Burnet’s History of His Own Time. , volume I, London: Thomas Ward , →OCLC, page 15:

     Soon after his [James VI and I's] coming to the Crown of England he entered into ſecret treaties with Spain, in order to the forcing the States to a peace: […]

   • 1776 March 9, Adam Smith, “Of the Principle of the Commercial, or Mercantile System”, in An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations. , volume II, London: W Strahan; and T Cadell, , →OCLC, book IV (Of Systems of Political Oeconomy), page 29:

     Exportation was encouraged ſometimes by dravvbacks, ſometimes by bounties, ſometimes by advantageous treaties of commerce with foreign ſtates, and ſometimes by eſtabliſhment of colonies in diſtant countries.

2. (archaic)
   1. (uncountable) Chiefly in in treaty: discussions or negotiations in order to reach an agreement.
      • 1680 May 10 (Gregorian calendar), John Evelyn, “”, in William Bray, editor, Memoirs, Illustrative of the Life and Writings of John Evelyn, , 2nd edition, volume I, London: Henry Colburn, ; and sold by John and Arthur Arch, , published 1819, →OCLC, page 519:

        To a meeting of the executors of late Visc^sse Mordaunt's estate, to consider of the sale of Parsons Greene; being in treaty with Mr. Loftus, and to settle the halfe yeare's account.

   2. (countable) Chiefly in private treaty: an agreement or settlement reached following negotiations; a compact, a contract, a covenant.
3. (obsolete)
   1. (uncountable) The manner or process of treating someone or something; treatment; also, the manner in which someone or something acts or behaves; behaviour.
      • 1629 (first performance), B[en] Jonson, The New Inne. Or, The Light Heart. , London: Thomas Harper, for Thomas Alchorne, , published 1631, →OCLC, Act I, scene iii:

        Hoſ[t]. They call me Good-ſtock. / Lov[el]. Sir, and you confeſſe it, / Both i'your language, treaty, and your bearing.

   2. (uncountable) The addressing or consideration of a subject; discussion, treatment.
   3. (countable) A formal, systematic discourse on some subject; a treatise.
      • 1650, Thomas Browne, “Of the Second Cause of Popular Errors; the Erroneous Disposition of the People”, in Pseudodoxia Epidemica: , 2nd edition, London: A Miller, for Edw Dod and Nath Ekins, , →OCLC, 1st book, page 7:

        And though Galen doth ſometime nibble at Moſes, and beſide the Apoſtate Chriſtian, ſome Heathens have queſtioned his Philoſophicall part or treaty of the Creation: Yet is there ſurely no reaſonable Pagan, that will not admire the rationall and well grounded precepts of Chriſt; […]

      • 1724, [Gilbert] Burnet, “Book II. Of the First Twelve Years of the Reign of King Charles II. from the Year 1660 to the Year 1673.”, in , editor, Bishop Burnet’s History of His Own Time. , volume I, London: Thomas Ward , →OCLC, page 326:

        The Miniſters in Holland did upon this occaſion ſhew a very particular violence. In their ſermons, and in ſome printed treaties, they charged the Judges with corruption, who had carried the ſentence no farther than to baniſhment: And compared the fate of the De Wits to Haman’s.

   4. (countable) An act of beseeeching or entreating; an entreaty, a plea, a request.
      • c. 1606–1607, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Anthonie and Cleopatra”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies  (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, , page 356, column 1:

        Now I must / To the young man ſend humble Treaties, dodge / And palter in the ſhifts of lovvnes, vvho / VVith halfe the bulke o' th' vvorld plaid as I pleas'd, / Making, and marring Fortunes.

Coordinate terms

• concordat

Derived terms

• peace treaty
• treaty battleship
• treatyless
• treatymaker
• treatymaking
• Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance
• treaty port
• unequal treaty

Related terms

Translations

See also

• protocol
• exchange of letters
• exchange of notes

Verb

treaty (third-person singular simple present treaties, present participle treatying, simple past and past participle treatied)

1. (transitive) To get into (a specific situation) through a treaty.
2. (intransitive) To enter into a treaty.

Translations

References

Further reading

• “treaty”, in The Century Dictionary , New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• “treaty”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “treaty”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

Anagrams

• attery, yatter