scutage

1 9.9

A tax a noble pays to avoid fighting for the king in the Middle Ages

noun
/ˈskjuːtɪdʒ/

Archaic

: escutaje

Records show that scutage became a significant source of royal income during the Middle Ages.

Examples

The introduction of scutage allowed wealthy vassals to avoid direct military service.
The knight paid scutage instead of serving in the army.
In the twelfth century, many nobles paid scutage instead of joining the king's army.
Many lords relied on scutage to fund their wars.
In medieval England, many knights chose to pay scutage instead of serving in the military.
The king imposed a scutage on his vassals, allowing them to avoid warfare by paying a tax.
During the reign of Richard I, scutage became a common tax for those wishing to escape military duty.

Surface Forms

scutage singular

scutages plural

Morphology

scutage = scut + age

Though historically formed from a base meaning 'shield' plus the suffix '-age', the root 'scut' is not a familiar or productive English base today, so learners cannot reliably infer the meaning from the parts.

Etymology

Scutage comes from the Latin word scutum, 'shield'. In medieval times nobles paid this 'shield' fee as a tax to avoid military service, so scutage means a payment made instead of fighting.