Definition

1. Noun:
   • Unpaid labor required by a feudal lord: A form of labor, often for public works like road maintenance, that a feudal lord could demand from vassals or serfs as a substitute for paying taxes or rent.

Usage

• The term is used in historical contexts to describe feudal obligations.
• It refers specifically to compulsory, unpaid work, not voluntary service or paid labor.

Examples

• Noun:
  • The peasants performed three days of corvee each month, repairing the lord's roads.
  • The abolition of feudal corvee was a key demand during the revolution.

Advanced Usage

• "to be subject to corvee": to be liable for or required to perform this type of labor.
  • Villeins were typically subject to corvee on their lord's demesne.

Variants and Related Words

• Corvée: The original French spelling, often used interchangeably in English historical texts.

Synonyms

• Statute labor: Compulsory labor for the state or community, often used in a similar historical context.
• Forced labor: General term for work performed under coercion, though not exclusively feudal.

Notes on Meaning

• The concept is distinctly feudal and historical. In modern usage, it is almost exclusively found in discussions of history, economics, or political systems of the past.
• It implies a legal or customary obligation within a hierarchical social structure, not arbitrary impressment.

Noun

1. unpaid labor (as for the maintenance of roads) required by a lord of his vassals in lieu of taxes