Of legal knowledge I acquired such a grip That they took me into the partnership. And that junior partnership, I ween, Was the only ship that I ever had seen. But that kind of ship so suited me, That now I am the Ruler of the Queen's Navee! [But that kind of ship so suited he, That now he is the Ruler of the Queen's Navee!]
But seriously, folks, in words like partership, partisanship, apprenticeship, censorship etc., what does the suffix -ship mean, and what is its etymology? Does it have anything at all to do with ships that sail the sea?
November 19, 2005, 03:37
arnie
Dictionary.com says that the noun is from OE scip and the suffix is from OE scipe. Not knowing Old English I don't know for sure, but they seem to have come from different words.
Build a man a fire and he's warm for a day. Set a man on fire and he's warm for the rest of his life.
November 19, 2005, 06:21
zmježd
The suffix -ship is related to the German -schaft and Dutch -schap, all of which are ultimately related to Original Germanic *skap- 'shape' (cf. English shipshape, older ship-shapen, where shapen is an adjective). The etymology of ship is not known. I doubt if they're related. The OED has a bunch of great words ending in -ship that have fallen into disuse: drunkship, gladship, wildship.This message has been edited. Last edited by: zmježd,
—Ceci n'est pas un seing.
November 19, 2005, 07:31
jo
I am just guessing here, but my hunch would be that the suffix comes from the Old English word for shape. Thus, friendship means having the shape of a friend. The use of shape to denote a state of being is not uncommon usage. We often ask of someone, What kind of shape is s/he in?, meaning what is the individual's state of mind or body.
Oh, and yes, we are back. If you want details, send me a PM and I will be happy to talk about it.
November 19, 2005, 09:45
zmježd
Wish I'd thought of that.This message has been edited. Last edited by: zmježd,
—Ceci n'est pas un seing.
November 19, 2005, 11:02
jo
but you did think of that. Your post went up while I was writing mine, and I delayed posting it and didn't read yours first. Otherwise I would never have posted it.
November 19, 2005, 13:11
zmježd
I'm sorry for my pettiness, jo. Please accept my public apology.
—Ceci n'est pas un seing.
November 19, 2005, 14:07
shufitz
Pooh! None needed, zmj.
By the way, OED has 1967 -ship-words, though some are repetitive (worship, hero-worship, snake-worship.)
November 19, 2005, 14:52
jo
right. none needed.
November 19, 2005, 22:00
Kalleh
quote:
drunkship
I love it! "My drunkship has really affected me tonight."
BTW, I like your avatar, Jo, but I also miss your great picture!
