Definition of corvée

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cor·vée    (kôr-v, kôrv) KEY 

NOUN:

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.

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ETYMOLOGY:
French corvée, and Middle English corve both from Old French corovee, from Medieval Latin (opera) corrogta, (work) requested, neuter pl. of Latin corrogtus, past participle of corrogre, to summon together : com-, com- + rogre, to ask; see reg- in Indo-European roots