DATION, civil law, contracts. The act of giving something. It differs from 
donation, which is a gift; dation, on the contrary, is giving something 
without any liberality; as, the giving of an office. 
     2. Dation in payment, datio in solutionem, which was the giving one 
thing in payment of another which was due, corresponds nearly to the accord 
and satisfaction of the common law.