socage

1 9.9

Land held from a lord in return for farm work or rent, not military service

noun
/ˈsoʊkɪdʒ/

Archaic

: socage

Under the system of socage, peasants paid rent to the lord instead of performing military service.

Examples

The manor lands were mostly held in socage during the late Middle Ages.
The farmer's land was held under socage.
His ancestors acquired their estate by socage, making them free from military obligations.
Many tenants prefer socage to military service obligations.
Under the system of socage, farmers paid a fixed rent to their landlord for using the land.
The manor lands were mostly held in socage during the late Middle Ages, allowing tenants to farm without military service.
His ancestors acquired their estate by socage, which meant they were not required to serve in the army.

Surface Forms

socage singular

socages plural

Etymology

The word socage comes from an old French word soc, meaning 'part of a plow'. It originally named a way of holding land where a tenant did farm work or paid rent instead of serving in the army, so socage came to mean land held in return for agricultural service or rent.