Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Clause \Clause\, n. [F. clause, LL. clausa, equiv. to L.
   clausula clause, prop., close of ? rhetorical period, close,
   fr. claudere to shut, to end. See {Close}.]
   1. A separate portion of a written paper, paragraph, or
      sentence; an article, stipulation, or proviso, in a legal
      document.

            The usual attestation clause to a will. --Bouvier.

   2. (Gram.) A subordinate portion or a subdivision of a
      sentence containing a subject and its predicate.

Clause \Clause\, n. [Obs.]
   See {Letters clause or close}, under {Letter}.

Source : WordNet®

clause
     n 1: (grammar) an expression including a subject and predicate
          but not constituting a complete sentence
     2: a separate section of a legal document (as a statute or
        contract or will) [syn: {article}]