Scotage
/ˈskoʊtɪdʒ/noun
A medieval tax or payment in lieu of military service.
Did you know?Scotage is tied to the same Old English root as modern English scot, meaning a payment or tax, and it survived as a feudal money substitute for a knight’s military duty.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*skotą
“a payment, contribution, or tax”
Old English
OE
scot
“a tax, tribute, or share of a reckoning”
Late Old English / Middle English
Anglo-Norman / ME
scotage
“money paid instead of military service”
12th Century
Anglo-Norman
escotage
“a feudal payment in lieu of service”
Modern English
English
scotage
“a historical tax paid instead of providing military service”