Commonage

/ˈkɒmənɪdʒ/ noun

Definition

The right to use land or resources jointly with others; land held in common by a community, especially pasture shared for grazing.

Etymology

From common plus -age suffix. Evolved in Middle English from Anglo-Norman legal terminology describing shared feudal property rights.

Kelly Says

English villages were built around commonage—the shared pasture where everyone could graze their sheep. When landlords privatized these commons, it sparked peasant rebellions and riots throughout medieval England!

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