The word "servage" is a rare and archaic term used to describe the state of being a serf or bondage to a feudal lord. It is pronounced as /ˈsɜː.vɪdʒ/ and is spelled with an "s" at the beginning instead of a "c" like the modern-day spelling of "serfage". The "e" at the end is silent and does not affect the pronunciation. The origin of the word is from the Old French word "servage" meaning serfdom, which was borrowed from the Latin word "servitium".
Servage, also spelled as serfage, refers to a system of social and economic bondage that emerged during the medieval period in Europe. The term is derived from the Latin word servus, meaning "slave" or "servant," and primarily describes the condition of unfree labor that serfs were subjected to.
Servage denotes a state of servitude in which the majority of the agricultural laboring population were legally bound to work on the estates of feudal lords. Serfs, who formed the lowest rung of the feudal hierarchy, were obligated to provide a range of goods and services to their lords in exchange for protection and the right to cultivate a plot of land. Unlike outright slaves, serfs were not owned by their lords but were instead tied to the land itself.
Under this system, serfs lived in a state of permanent bondage and were deprived of many basic rights and freedoms. They were restricted from leaving their estates without the lord's permission and had limited control over their own lives. Furthermore, serfs were burdened by heavy obligations, such as paying taxes and tribute, providing military service, and contributing to the lord's income.
Servage persisted primarily in feudal societies until it gradually declined during the late Medieval period and gave way to more equitable forms of labor. It was eventually replaced by emerging economic systems that granted greater autonomy and freedom to the laboring class.
The word "servage" is derived from the Old French term "servage", which in turn comes from the Latin word "servitium". "Servitium" means "servitude" or "slavery" and is derived from "servus", meaning "slave" or "servant".