noun
- unpaid labor demanded by a feudal lord from his vassals or by a state from its citizens
Usage: historical; plural form of corvee
Examples
- Medieval peasants were required to perform corvees for their lord several days each month.
- The corvees included road maintenance, bridge repair, and castle construction.
- French peasants resented the corvees imposed by the nobility before the Revolution.
- Historical records show that corvees were a major source of grievance among the common people.
- The abolition of corvees was one of the reforms demanded during the peasant uprisings.