Where does “clerkship” come from?
Clerkship derives from English clerk combined with the suffix -ship, tracing through Middle English clerc and Old English -scipe back to Proto-Germanic -skapiz, ultimately from Ancient Greek κληρικός, meaning of the clergy, rooted in κλῆρος meaning lot or portion.
clerkship (English): The state or business of a clerk; A temporary job...
Definitions
- The state or business of a clerk; A temporary job...
Ancestry of “clerkship”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | clerk | One who occupationally works with records,... |
| 2 | Middle English | clerc | a clergyman, usually in Christianity |
| 3 | Old English | clerc | clergyman, clerk |
| 4 | Latin | clēricus | — |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | κληρικός | of or pertaining to clergy; clerical; clergyman |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | -ικός | of or pertaining to, in the manner of; -ic |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | -κός | forms adjectives with the sense of 'of or... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -ḱos | -y, -ic |