Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “chieftainship” come from?

Chieftainship derives from Middle English -schipe and Old English -scipe, suffix forms from Proto-Germanic -skapiz, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European kauput- meaning head, with the noun chieftain combining the root for head with the suffix denoting state or condition.

chieftainship (English): The state of being a chieftain; The area ruled by...

Definitions

  1. The state of being a chieftain; The area ruled by...

Ancestry of “chieftainship”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishchieftainA leader of a clan or tribe; A leader of a group
2English-essSuffix appended to words to make a female...
3French-esseused to form nouns describing the condition of...
4Italian-essa-ess
5Portuguese-esafeminine singular of -ês
6Spanish-esafeminine singular of -és
7Spanish-ésForms nouns and adjectives of nationality;...
8Spanishpolíticapolitics; policy; female equivalent of político
9Spanishpolíticopolitical; in-law; politician
10Latinpolīticus—
11Swedishpolitiskpolitical, having to do with politics
12Swedishpolitikpolitics
13Ancient Greekπολιτικόςcivic, constitutional, public; social
14Ancient Greekπολῑ́τηςcitizen
15Ancient Greekπόλιςcity; a whole country, as dependent on and called...
16Proto-Hellenicptóliscity
17Proto-Indo-EuropeantpólHis—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European tpólHis →