Plural of droit; legal rights or dues, especially feudal or royal privileges owed by subjects.
From Old French 'droit' meaning 'right' or 'law,' derived from Latin 'directus' meaning 'straight' or 'direct.' The term evolved to mean legal entitlements and duties in feudal systems.
Medieval kings collected 'droits' as their due—weird taxes on everything from fish weirs to the best cuts of whales beached on royal shores. These archaic rights show how language preserves forgotten economic systems.
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