-ship

Meaning

Appended to a noun to form a new noun denoting a property or state of being, time spent in a role, or a specialised union. In particular, the way a set of social duties associated with a particular role shapes or develop's one's character.

Synonyms

ability

hood

IA

Th

-ity

-ness

-ous

-scape

OSE

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: -schipe

Inherited from Old English: -sċiepe

Cognate with Scots: -schip

Cognate with Western Frisian: -skip

Cognate with Dutch: -schap

Cognate with German: -schaft

Cognate with Swedish: -skap

Cognate with Icelandic: -skapur

In summary

From Middle English -schipe, -shippe, from Old English -sċiepe, from Proto-West Germanic *-skapi, from Proto-Germanic *-skapiz.
Compare Scots -schip, West Frisian -skip, Dutch -schap, German -schaft, Swedish -skap, Icelandic -skapur. Related to shape.