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corvée

 - 2 dictionary results

cor⋅vée

  [kawr-vey]
Use corvée in a Sentence
–noun
1. unpaid labor for one day, as on the repair of roads, exacted by a feudal lord.
2. an obligation imposed on inhabitants of a district to perform services, as repair of roads, bridges, etc., for little or no remuneration.
Origin:
1300–50; ME < MF < LL corrogāta contribution, collection, n. use of fem. of L corrogātus (ptp. of corrogāre to collect by asking), equiv. to cor- cor- + rogā(re) to ask + -tus ptp. suffix
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To corvée
cor·vée   (kôr-vā', kôr'vā')   
n.  

  1. Labor exacted by a local authority for little or no pay or instead of taxes and used especially in the maintenance of roads.

  2. A day of unpaid work required of a vassal by a feudal lord.


[French corvée and Middle English corve, both from Old French corovee, from Medieval Latin (opera) corrogāta, (work) requested, neuter pl. of Latin corrogātus, past participle of corrogāre, to summon together : com-, com- + rogāre, to ask; see reg- in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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