fee

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
fee/fiː/

▶noun

• 1 a payment made to a professional person or to a professional or public body in exchange for advice or services.

  ■ a charge made for a privilege such as admission.

• 2 Law, historical an estate of land, especially one held on condition of feudal service.

▶verb (fees, feeing, fee'd or feed) rare pay a fee to.

– phrases
hold something in fee Law, historical hold an estate in return for feudal service to a superior.

– origin ME: from an Anglo-Norman Fr. var. of OFr. feu, fief, from med. L. feodum, feudum, ult. of Gmc origin; cf. feu and fief.