Legal Definitions - rectitudo

Rectitudo refers to something that is legally or rightfully owed. This can encompass a payment, a tribute, a service, or an entitlement that is due to an individual or entity based on law, custom, or agreement.

Here are some examples to illustrate this concept:

• Historical Tribute: In a historical context, a feudal tenant might have been obligated to provide a certain amount of grain or a specific number of days of labor to their lord annually. This customary payment or service, considered rightfully owed to the lord for the use of his land, would be an example of rectitudo. It represents a tribute or payment due by established practice.
• Legal Entitlement: Consider a situation where a homeowner has a legally recognized right-of-way across a neighboring property to access a public road. This established legal right to traverse another's land, which is rightfully due to the homeowner for access to their own property, exemplifies rectitudo. It is an entitlement that is legally theirs.
• Contractual Payment: When a freelance designer completes a website project exactly as outlined in a signed contract with a client, the final payment agreed upon in that contract becomes a rectitudo. It is the payment that is legally and rightfully due to the designer for fulfilling their contractual obligations and delivering the agreed-upon service.