Definition of scutage in English:
scutage
noun ˈskjuːtɪdʒˈsk(j)udədʒ
mass noun(in a feudal society) money paid by a vassal to his lord in lieu of military service.
Example sentencesExamples
- By the 13th cent. the arrangements were unravelling as lords increasingly paid scutage rather than perform knight service and vassals tried to commute their own obligations.
- It was normally possible to make a payment, known as scutage or shield money, in place of performing feudal military service.
- By that time too, inflation of around 50 percent had made scutage valueless, and it was no longer collected, although it was not abolished until 1660.
- Most of the head tenants and some of the under tenants held on condition of knight service, later commuted into a money payment in lieu of service called scutage.
Origin
Late Middle English: from medieval Latin scutagium, from Latin scutum 'shield'.
Definition of scutage in US English:
scutage
nounˈsk(y)o͞odəjˈsk(j)udədʒ
(in a feudal society) money paid by a vassal to his lord in lieu of military service.
Example sentencesExamples
- Most of the head tenants and some of the under tenants held on condition of knight service, later commuted into a money payment in lieu of service called scutage.
- By the 13th cent. the arrangements were unravelling as lords increasingly paid scutage rather than perform knight service and vassals tried to commute their own obligations.
- It was normally possible to make a payment, known as scutage or shield money, in place of performing feudal military service.
- By that time too, inflation of around 50 percent had made scutage valueless, and it was no longer collected, although it was not abolished until 1660.
Origin
Late Middle English: from medieval Latin scutagium, from Latin scutum ‘shield’.