corvée

American  

[kawr-vey] / kɔrˈveɪ /

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.

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corvée British  

/ ˈkɔːveɪ /

noun

1. European history a day's unpaid labour owed by a feudal vassal to his lord

2. the practice or an instance of forced labour

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Etymology

Origin of corvée

1300–50; Middle English < Middle French < Late Latin corrogāta contribution, collection, noun use of feminine of Latin corrogātus (past participle of corrogāre to collect by asking), equivalent to cor- cor- + rogā ( re ) to ask + -tus past participle suffix

Example Sentences

To do so, they resurrected corvée, a 19th-century Haitian law for indentured labor.

From New York Times • May 20, 2022

The milice supplied as bad troops as the corvée supplied bad roads.

From Critical Miscellanies (Vol. 2 of 3) Turgot by Morley, John

They want us to pay some of the taxes—the corvée or the taille.

From Petticoat Rule by Orczy, Emmuska Orczy, Baroness

I am glad for the poor lad that the corvée of settling is over; he was dying to get back to his work.

From The Life, Letters and Work of Frederic Leighton Volume II by Barrington, Mrs. Russell

On one of the little islands, let to a middleman, all the evil features of the corvée are brought into prominence.

From Disturbed Ireland Being the Letters Written During the Winter of 1880-81. by Becker, Bernard H.