Sentence:  Since the Middle Ages, France had developed into a ‘society of orders', that is, an environment in which a complex set of institutions and <WSD>corporative</WSD> bodies enjoyed distinct legal status. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  pertaining to corporativism (also called corporatism); based on collective action or responsibility; especially of a state governed by or structured into separate bodies of classes, professions etc.