Settlement
Etymology
From “settle,” from Old English “setlan” (to seat, to place, to bring to rest), from “setl” (a seat). The image is of an unstable dispute being brought down to rest and fixed in place, the way one settles into a chair or a debt is settled.
noun · /SET-uhl-muhnt/
An agreement that resolves a legal dispute without a court deciding who wins.
What it names
The exit ramp most lawsuits actually take — reach for it to name the deal that ends a fight before a verdict, often to avoid the cost and risk of trial.
Example
Rather than gamble on a jury, the company offered a six-figure settlement with no admission of fault.
Related idea
A settlement is the deal the parties strike themselves; a judgment is the outcome imposed on them by the court when they don’t.
noun · /SET-uhl-muhnt/
A place where people establish a community, especially a small or newly founded one.
What it names
a village, colony, or outpost.
Example
Archaeologists uncovered a Bronze Age settlement.
Related idea
The shared idea is things coming to rest — people settling on land, as disputes settle in law.