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History vocabulary · Social History

Corvée

Meaning in history, with examples

nounCommon term

In history, corvée means: Unpaid labour required by an authority, often imposed on rural households for public or seigneurial work.

In Turkish: angarya, zorunlu emek yükümlülüğü

How it is used

Specify the authority and obligation; corvée differs from payment made in money or produce.

Example sentences

  1. Villagers owed corvée for repairing the road after winter.

    The obligation is discharged through labour rather than a cash payment.

  2. The account distinguishes corvée days from rent paid in grain.

    Different dues can coexist within one rural economy.

Common collocations

  • corvée labour
  • owe corvée
  • peasantA person who lives in the countryside and farms a small piece of land with family labour, often paying rent, taxes or labour services to a landowner or the state.
  • feudalismA term for the social and political order of medieval Europe in which lords granted land to vassals in return for loyalty and military service, while peasants worked the land.

More terms: Social History

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