corvée
A corvée is an unpaid, mandatory chore or labor task that someone is forced to perform.
Explanation at your level:
A corvée is a job you have to do, but you don't like it. Imagine your teacher gives you homework on a holiday. That is a corvée. You have to do it, but it is not fun!
A corvée is a task that is mandatory. It is like a chore that you are forced to finish. Usually, people do not get paid for a corvée, and they would rather be doing something else.
The term corvée refers to unpaid, compulsory labor. While historically it meant working for a lord, today we use it to talk about any unpleasant task that you are required to complete. It implies a lack of choice and a sense of boredom or frustration.
Corvée is a sophisticated noun used to describe tasks that feel like drudgery. It carries a historical weight, suggesting that the work is not only boring but also imposed upon you by an authority figure. It is often used in a slightly ironic or literary way to describe modern-day inconveniences.
In advanced English, corvée is used to characterize labor that is both mandatory and unremunerated. It is particularly useful in sociological or historical discussions regarding labor systems, but it can also be employed figuratively to describe the 'drudgery of existence' or repetitive, soul-crushing administrative tasks in a professional environment.
The term corvée serves as a potent signifier of the intersection between power and labor. Etymologically rooted in the feudal structures of medieval France, its modern usage often functions as an intellectual shorthand for any form of coerced, low-status labor. When used in high-register prose, it evokes a sense of historical continuity, suggesting that modern bureaucratic or domestic 'chores' are simply the latest iteration of an ancient, unavoidable human experience of servitude.
Palabra en 30 segundos
- A corvée is a mandatory, unpaid task.
- It comes from feudal French history.
- It is a formal, intellectual word.
- Use it to describe boring, forced work.
When you hear the word corvée, think of a task that feels like a heavy burden. It is not just a regular chore; it carries the weight of obligation and compulsion. You aren't doing it because you want to, but because you have to.
In a casual sense, you might use this to describe a particularly annoying task at work or home. If your boss makes you reorganize a messy filing cabinet on a Friday afternoon, you might jokingly call it your weekly corvée. It captures that specific feeling of drudgery where you feel like a servant to a task you despise.
The word corvée comes directly from French, rooted in the Latin corrogata, meaning 'a requisition' or 'something gathered together.' It evolved during the feudal era in France, where peasants were legally required to provide labor to their lords as a form of tax.
It is a fascinating historical term because it represents the raw power dynamic between the ruling class and the working class. While we don't have feudal lords today, the word has survived in our language to describe the 'modern-day' versions of these unpleasant, mandatory duties. It’s a great example of how a very specific legal term from the Middle Ages can find a new life in our daily vocabulary.
You will mostly encounter corvée in academic, historical, or literary contexts. Because it is a sophisticated, somewhat rare word, it carries a formal or intellectual register. Using it in casual conversation might sound a bit pretentious unless you are being intentionally ironic.
Common collocations include phrases like 'performing a corvée' or 'a system of corvée.' If you want to use it in daily life, try pairing it with words that emphasize the misery of the task, such as 'tedious corvée' or 'endless corvée.' It works best when you want to sound slightly dramatic about a boring chore.
While corvée itself is a noun, it fits into expressions about labor and duty. 1. Back-breaking labor: Describes physical work that is as hard as a historical corvée. 2. A thankless task: A chore done without appreciation, similar to the spirit of a corvée. 3. Grindstone duty: Refers to being 'kept to the grindstone,' implying forced, repetitive work. 4. Sisyphusian task: A task that is never-ending and pointless, much like a forced corvée. 5. Indentured service: A more formal term for being forced to work for someone, reflecting the historical root of the word.
The word corvée is a singular noun, and its plural form is corvées. In English, it is almost always treated as a countable noun. Pronunciation is typically kor-VAY, with the stress on the second syllable. It rhymes with words like 'survey,' 'purvey,' and 'toupee.'
Because it is a loanword from French, it retains the accent mark in formal writing, though it is sometimes dropped in casual English. When using it in a sentence, treat it like any other singular noun: 'The corvée was exhausting' or 'They were subjected to a long corvée.' It is a straightforward word grammatically, even if its history is complex.
Fun Fact
It was a major source of resentment leading to the French Revolution.
Pronunciation Guide
Sounds like 'cor-VAY'
Sounds like 'cor-VAY'
Common Errors
- Misplacing the stress on the first syllable
- Pronouncing the 'é' as an 'ee' sound
- Adding extra syllables
Rhymes With
Difficulty Rating
Requires historical knowledge
Needs formal context
Rarely used in speech
Rarely heard
What to Learn Next
Prerequisites
Learn Next
Avanzado
Grammar to Know
Loanwords in English
corvée
Singular vs Plural
corvée/corvées
Formal Register
using corvée
Examples by Level
The corvée is a hard job.
corvée = forced chore
singular noun
I hate this corvée.
corvée = bad task
subject-verb-object
Is this a corvée?
corvée = forced work
question format
The corvée is long.
long = boring
adjective
No more corvée!
no more = stop
exclamation
A corvée is not fun.
not fun = boring
negative sentence
Do the corvée now.
now = immediately
imperative
The corvée is done.
done = finished
passive voice
The weekend chores felt like a total corvée.
He complained about the corvée of cleaning the garage.
Is it really a corvée if you choose to do it?
She finished her corvée before going to play.
The office corvée of filing papers took all day.
They had to perform their weekly corvée.
Nobody likes a corvée, but it must be done.
The corvée was a waste of time.
The mandatory training session was a real corvée for the staff.
He viewed the tax preparation as a yearly corvée.
The peasants were subjected to a brutal corvée system.
Doing the dishes every night has become my personal corvée.
She managed to escape the corvée of helping with the move.
Is there any way to avoid this administrative corvée?
The project felt more like a corvée than a creative endeavor.
They were forced into a corvée to repair the road.
The professor described the grading process as a necessary corvée.
He found the endless committee meetings to be a tedious corvée.
The historical document detailed the harsh conditions of the corvée.
She treated the daily commute as a modern-day corvée.
There is a certain indignity in performing such a pointless corvée.
The system of corvée was eventually abolished in the region.
He resented the corvée of having to attend the ceremony.
It was a classic corvée, demanding effort with zero reward.
The bureaucratic requirements were a corvée that stifled innovation.
He spoke of his job in terms of a digital corvée, devoid of meaning.
The historical analysis of the corvée revealed deep social inequities.
She viewed the social obligations of the season as a social corvée.
The transition from feudal corvée to wage labor was slow and painful.
His writing style was a corvée, requiring immense effort for little gain.
They were trapped in a cycle of corvée, working to survive.
The task was a corvée in the truest sense of the word.
The text explores the lingering echoes of the feudal corvée in modern labor.
He performed his duties with the weary resignation of one bound to a corvée.
The imposition of the corvée was a hallmark of the lord's absolute authority.
She analyzed the economic impact of the corvée on the agrarian society.
The narrative paints the protagonist's life as a series of existential corvées.
The transition to modernity did little to alleviate the burden of the corvée.
His critique of the institution centered on its reliance on forced corvée.
The word corvée carries the weight of centuries of uncompensated toil.
Colocaciones comunes
Idioms & Expressions
"Back to the grindstone"
Return to hard work
Vacation is over, back to the grindstone.
casual"A labor of love"
Work done for pleasure, not money
The garden is a labor of love.
neutral"Sisyphusian task"
A task that is never finished
Cleaning the beach is a Sisyphusian task.
literary"Sweat of one's brow"
Hard work
He earned it by the sweat of his brow.
formal"At someone's beck and call"
Ready to do anything for someone
He is always at her beck and call.
neutral"Slave away"
Work very hard
I slaved away all night.
casualEasily Confused
similar sound
curfew is time, corvée is work
Curfew is at 10; corvée is all day.
similar rhyme
convey is to carry, corvée is a chore
I convey the message; I do the corvée.
similar rhyme
survey is to look, corvée is to work
I survey the land; I do the corvée.
similar meaning
chore is common, corvée is rare
Doing dishes is a chore, not a corvée.
Sentence Patterns
The [noun] was a corvée.
The meeting was a corvée.
Subject + perform + a corvée.
They performed a corvée.
It felt like a corvée.
It felt like a corvée.
The system of corvée.
The system of corvée was harsh.
Subject + resent + the corvée.
He resented the corvée.
Familia de palabras
Nouns
Relacionado
How to Use It
2
Formality Scale
Errores comunes
Corvée implies misery.
The accent is on the second syllable.
It is not an action word.
Different meanings.
It sounds out of place.
Tips
Memory Palace Trick
Imagine a French king forcing you to clean.
When Native Speakers Use It
Usually in history class or literary essays.
Cultural Insight
It represents feudal history.
Grammar Shortcut
It is a singular countable noun.
Say It Right
Stress the VAY.
Don't Make This Mistake
Don't use it for positive tasks.
Did You Know?
It helped cause the French Revolution.
Study Smart
Read historical texts to see it in action.
Context Matters
Only use it when you want to sound sophisticated.
Rhyme Time
Rhymes with survey.
Memorize It
Mnemonic
Cor-VAY: 'Core' of the 'Vay' (way) to work is forced.
Visual Association
A peasant carrying a heavy stone uphill.
Word Web
Desafío
Use the word in a sentence today when you have to do a chore.
Origen de la palabra
French
Original meaning: A requisition or tax in the form of labor
Contexto cultural
Refers to systems of forced labor, so use with awareness.
Used primarily by historians or in highly educated circles.
Practice in Real Life
Real-World Contexts
History class
- feudal corvée
- system of corvée
- abolished corvée
Workplace
- administrative corvée
- daily corvée
- pointless corvée
Literature
- endless corvée
- bitter corvée
- harsh corvée
General
- modern-day corvée
- my personal corvée
- avoid the corvée
Conversation Starters
"Have you ever had a task that felt like a corvée?"
"Do you think the concept of corvée still exists today?"
"Why do you think the word corvée is so rare now?"
"What is the most 'corvée-like' task you do every week?"
"How does the history of corvée change your view of work?"
Journal Prompts
Describe a time you were forced to do a task you hated.
Reflect on the difference between a chore and a corvée.
If you were a feudal lord, would you use a corvée system?
Write about a modern-day corvée in your own life.
Preguntas frecuentes
8 preguntasNo, it is quite rare.
Only if you want to sound formal or ironic.
kor-VAY.
Yes, it is a loanword.
Yes, but it is much more formal.
Yes, corvées.
Rarely, usually in academic business history.
Yes, in formal writing.
Ponte a prueba
The ___ was very hard.
Corvée fits the context of a hard task.
What is a corvée?
It is an unpleasant task.
A corvée is always a paid job.
It is historically unpaid.
Word
Significado
They are synonymous.
The corvée was long.
The ___ system was abolished.
Corvée system is a historical term.
Which word best matches 'drudgery'?
Both imply boring work.
Corvée is a verb.
It is a noun.
Word
Significado
Both are negative.
It was a corvée.
Puntuación: /10
Summary
A corvée is an old word for a forced, unpaid chore that still captures the feeling of modern-day drudgery.
- A corvée is a mandatory, unpaid task.
- It comes from feudal French history.
- It is a formal, intellectual word.
- Use it to describe boring, forced work.
Memory Palace Trick
Imagine a French king forcing you to clean.
When Native Speakers Use It
Usually in history class or literary essays.
Cultural Insight
It represents feudal history.
Grammar Shortcut
It is a singular countable noun.
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