The author analyses various terms used to denote provincial estates in the 15th and 16th centuries. Textual context in which these terms appear is discussed, as is the meaning of terms sueh as (gemeine) landschaft, Iandmann/ leute, ald, partei, stand/ stende. The author explains that certain terms were used to denote estates of various range at various times in the past and he occasionally corrects historical terminology that in some instances tends to be too loose. Although the analysis is primarily centered on Carniola and its estates, it does take into consideration the sources of other Habsburg hereditary lands as well, Styria and Carinthia in particular, mostly due to their similarities in judicial-historical circumstances and language comparabilily.