Where does “-ship” come from?
-ship (Middle English) comes from Middle English -schipe, from Old English -sċiepe, from Proto-West Germanic -skapi, from Proto-Germanic -skapiz, from Proto-Germanic skapjaną, from Proto-Indo-European skab- — to cut, split, hew, shape; to cut, split, carve,...
-ship (Middle English): Alternative form of -schipe
Definitions
- Alternative form of -schipe
Ancestry of “-ship”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | -schipe | Affixed to nouns and adjectives to form nouns... |
| 2 | Old English | -sċiepe | noun-forming suffix: -ship |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | -skapi | Forms nouns denoting state, originally meaning... |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | -skapiz | Forms nouns denoting state, originally meaning... |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | skapjaną | to make, to create; to shape |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | skab- | to cut, split, hew, shape; to cut, split, carve,... |