Angarias

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Forced labor or compulsory service imposed by an authority; a task or duty that is compulsory and often burdensome; a heavy or oppressive obligation required by law or custom
2. A mandated and obligatory work duty demanded by those in power; an enforced duty or service regarded as burdensome; a compulsory task or labor exacted from individuals under authority
3. Servitude or labor that is required by mandate or decree; a compulsory job or service that is onerous or enforced; an enforced and obligatory responsibility imposed by an institution or ruler

Etymology: "Angarias" is the plural of "angaria," a Latin borrowing meaning forced, unpaid labor or service. The singular "angaria" is the form English speakers meet in legal and historical writing, where the plural tends to appear when several such obligations are discussed together. The word is a loan from Latin, which in turn took it from Greek "aggareia," a term for the compulsory service demanded by the state couriers of the Persian empire, who could commandeer horses, ships, and people for official business. The Greek word was itself borrowed from Old Persian, and it passed into Latin and from there into the vocabulary of legal scholars. Roman jurists used "angaria" for compulsory public services imposed on subjects, and the term later came to stand for any arbitrary exaction of labor or goods by a powerful authority. Its use in modern English remains largely confined to historical and legal discussion.

Synonyms: impositions, obligations, duties, burdens, tasks

Antonyms: freedoms, exemptions, privileges, rights, liberties