Etymology

pacta sunt servanda

Today it means: Agreements must be kept. Full definition →

First used 19th c.
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The story

Latin plural of pactum (“pact”) + sunt servanda (“must be kept”), after pacta et promissa semperne servanda sint (“whether agreements and promises should always be kept”) in Cicero, De Oficiis 3.92.

First known use, by meaning

  • from 19th c. Agreements must be kept.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.