In medieval feudalism, the obligation of a serf or tenant to work on a lord's land or to provide agricultural labor as part of their rent.
From Old French 'gaigner' (to till or cultivate), ultimately from Germanic roots. The suffix '-age' creates a noun denoting a duty, practice, or right, common in feudal terminology.
Gainage was basically unpaid labor enforced by the feudal system—serfs had to work on their lord's fields without pay, which was one of the ways medieval rulers held power before wages and money became the norm.
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