Stipulate is from stipules, the Latin word for straw, and refers to the specification of an essential part or condition of an agreement.
When a landowner in feudal England wanted to remove a serf from his property, he would present the unfortunate tenant with a broken straw symbolizing the termination of their contract.
During this time, men of questionable character would loiter around the courthouse offering to testify for money.
They stipulated this by wearing a piece of straw in their shoes and were called “straw men.”
