Legal Definitions - commodator

A commodator, in the context of Roman and civil law, refers to an individual or entity who lends an item to another person for their use, free of charge, with the understanding that the exact same item will be returned. This arrangement is known as a "loan for use" or "gratuitous bailment," where the lender (commodator) temporarily transfers possession, but not ownership, of an item for the borrower's benefit, without receiving any compensation for its use.

• Example 1: Sarah needs a specific power tool for a home renovation project but doesn't own one. Her neighbor, Mark, offers to let her use his high-quality drill for the weekend, free of charge, on the condition that she returns it by Monday.

  In this scenario, Mark is the commodator. He is lending his drill to Sarah for her temporary use without expecting any payment, and he anticipates the return of that specific drill once she has finished her project.

• Example 2: A local church plans to host a community soup kitchen and needs extra folding tables and chairs. A nearby school, which has surplus equipment, agrees to lend them 10 tables and 50 chairs for the event, free of charge, with the agreement that the items will be returned clean and undamaged the following day.

  Here, the school acts as the commodator. It is providing its equipment for the church's use without compensation, expecting the identical items to be returned after the event concludes.

• Example 3: An established art gallery wants to support an emerging artist. They offer to lend the artist a specialized display pedestal for their upcoming exhibition at another venue, completely free of charge, for the duration of the show, with the understanding that the pedestal will be returned to the gallery afterward.

  The art gallery functions as the commodator in this situation. They are lending a specific item to the artist for a defined period and purpose, gratuitously, and expect the same pedestal to be returned once the exhibition is over.