Glossary
| Adelantado | Royally-appointed governor and justice in a local community. |
| Aljama | The institution of municipal self-government for both the Jewish and Muslim communities. |
| Alfaquim | Derived from Arabic for a ‘wise one’ or ‘theologian,’ a leading position in court which involved offering counsel, acting variously as expert in law and jurisprudence, physician and interpreter. |
| Almagran | A tax on the land of Muslims in the Kingdom of Valencia. |
| Almohads | A group of Muslim Berbers, based in modern Morocco, whose caliphate succeeded the Almoravids (below), governing all or part of Iberian Al-Andalus between around 1146 and 1248. |
| Almoravids | A group of Muslim Berbers, based in Marrakesh in modern Morocco, who occupied Iberian Al-Andalus between around 1086 and 1150. |
| Alquería | A substantial rural estate, typically a farm-hamlet. |
| Baile | Royal official responsible for finance and administration. |
| Bêt Dîn (Hebrew) | Jewish religious court. |
| Call | Term for the Jewish quarters of town and cities in Catalonia, Mallorca and Valencia. |
| Carta de deudo | A form of loan deed common in Zaragoza. |
| Cens | A general term for rent on land. |
| Censal | An annuity, typically in perpetuity. |
| Comanda | A financial arrangement designed for safe-keeping of valuables but also adapted as a form of mercantile contract (from the Latin commenda), different versions potentially involving some profit-share and elements of lending. |
| Comiso | The right of the lord under an emphyteutic lease to repossess the land on non-payment of rent or other breach. |
| Confraria de los Cabarim | Lit. ‘brotherhood of friends,’ a Jewish burial society. |
| Converso | Convert from Judaism to Christianity. |
| Corral | Courtyard |
| Corts | Assembly of the three estates in each of Aragon, Catalonia and Valencia before the king. |
| Dînār (Hebrew) | (pl. Dînārîm) Unit of currency associated with the sous or sueldo. |
| Emphyteusis | Long-term usufruct lease, normally heritable and with obligations to maintain or improve the land. The seignieur has ‘direct dominion’ and the tenant usage rights. |
| Entrada | Lump-sum payment made on the grant of an emphyteutic lease. |
| Exaricus | Muslim sharecropper, derived from the Islamic sharik but with many variants in actual form and rights. |
| Fadiga | The right of the direct lord in an emphyteutic lease to exercise pre-emption on the alienation of the lease by the tenant, at a fair market price. |
| Foriscap | Also, foriscapi, foriscapium. Under emphyteutic leases, transfer fees payable to the direct lord on alienation of the tenancy. See also Lluisme below. |
| Franco | Jews granted the right to pay taxes and dues to the crown or other lordships separately from the rest of the Jewish community. |
| Fuero (fur in Catalan) | Royal or municipal charter setting out laws and privileges. |
| Hălākhâ (Hebrew) | The corpus of Jewish law (lit. ‘the way’). |
| Heqdeš (Hebrew) | A charitable foundation; rendered in Catalan as erhdeç. |
| Honor | Limited form of lordship granted to nobles and officials in Aragon, over castles and estates. |
| Honrat | Member of the urban oligarchy, a leading citizen. |
| Hospicium | Lodging house. |
| Infançon | Minor nobleman who inherits limited power and lordship. |
| Judería | Term for Jewish quarters of towns and cities in Aragon. |
| Jurat | City official responsible for justice. |
| Kāšēr (Hebrew) | Ritually pure, in particular as applied to food and wine. |
| Kĕtûbâ (Hebrew) | (pl. kĕtûbôt) Marriage contract in accordance with Jewish law. |
| Lluisme (also laudimium, laudemio, loysmo) | As foriscap, transfer fees payable to the direct lord on alienation of the tenancy under an emphyteutic lease. |
| Malluello | Young vineyard. |
| Merino | Royal official with local jurisdiction over justice. |
| Môhar (Hebrew) | In a Jewish marriage contract, the mandatory minimum payment (‘bride’s price’) paid by the husband. |
| Mudéjar | In Christian Spain, a Muslim remaining adherent to Islam (contrast moriscos who converted to Christianity). |
| Mutuum | A form of loan deed derived from Roman law. |
| Nĕdûnyʾā (Hebrew) | In a Jewish marriage contract, the dowry provided by the bride’s parents. |
| Novenario | A person recently deceased, during the nine days prior to the funeral. |
| Peita | Annual tax on property. Non-exempt taxpayers were known as pecheros. |
| Pĕšût (Hebrew) | (pl. Pĕšûtîm) Smallest unit of currency, associated with dinero (Latin denarius). |
| Reial | From the Arabic, rahal; also, real. A large farmstead, typically unirrigated, possession of wealthy landowners. Similar to alquerías, typically smaller. |
| Remença | A redemption fee paid by servile peasants in Old Catalonia in order to be freed from their obligations to the lord. |
| Repartiment | The process and recording of land re-distribution following the conquest of lands from Muslim control, different variants adopted in the Ebro Valley, Mallorca and Valencia. |
| Responsa | Judgments on matters of Jewish law, made by rabbis in response to questions raised typically by Jewish courts or communities. |
| Sêfer tôrâ (Hebrew) | Scroll containing the Five Books of Moses. |
| Senatus consultus velleyani | The right of wives under Roman law to annul any contract of the husband which made a claim over their dotal assets and had been struck without their consent. |
| Termino | Administrative division of towns and cities. |
| Tôsefet kĕtûbâ (Hebrew) | Also known as matānâ lĕkhûd, the supplementary gift provided by the husband in a Jewish marriage contract. |
| Trebut | A general term for payments due to the superior landlord, including to the crown in the royal domain. |
| Trehudo | The term for emphyteutic rent in Aragon. |
| Violari | Similar to the censal, an annuity, but in this case with a limited term, often either the lifetime of the grantee or their immediate heir. |