Corvees are unpaid labor that is often required of a citizen working for the benefit of the community while the work was done to improve the infrastructure. Other words that can be used in place of corvees include compulsory labor, forced labor, and mandatory work. Some additional synonyms for corvees are unpaid service, conscript labor, and mandatory service. Corvees are most often associated with the labor that peasants were required to give to their feudal lords, though it has also been used in other types of situations, such as in colonial times, or in modern-day civil service obligations. Regardless of the term used, it refers to labor that is mandated by law or force without pay.