*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of -ship

Etymology tree Proto-Germanic *skapjaną Proto-Germanic *-skapiz Proto-West Germanic *-skapi Old English -sċiepe Middle English -schipe English -ship From Middle English -schipe, -shippe, from Old English -sċiepe, from Pr

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
suffix

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 develops one's character.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Etymology tree Proto-Germanic *skapjaną Proto-Germanic *-skapiz Proto-West Germanic *-skapi Old English -sċiepe Middle English -schipe English -ship 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.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":inh",
        "3": "enm:-schipe",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Germanic *skapjaną\nProto-Germanic *-skapiz\nProto-West Germanic *-skapi\nOld English -sċiepe\nMiddle English -schipe\nEnglish -ship\n[Appendix:Glossary#inherited|Inherited]] from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-West Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*-skapi\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"gmw-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Old English\", \"term\" : \"-sċiepe\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ang\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"-schipe\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"-ship\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"-ship\">"
    },
    {
      "name": "root",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*(s)kep-"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "-schipe"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English -schipe"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "-sċiepe"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English -sċiepe"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*-skapi"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *-skapi"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*-skapiz"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *-skapiz"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sco",
        "2": "-schip"
      },
      "expansion": "Scots -schip"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "fy",
        "2": "-skip"
      },
      "expansion": "West Frisian -skip"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "-schap"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch -schap"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "-schaft"
      },
      "expansion": "German -schaft"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sv",
        "2": "-skap"
      },
      "expansion": "Swedish -skap"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "is",
        "2": "-skapur"
      },
      "expansion": "Icelandic -skapur"
    },
    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":inh",
        "3": "enm:-schipe",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Germanic *skapjaną\nProto-Germanic *-skapiz\nProto-West Germanic *-skapi\nOld English -sċiepe\nMiddle English -schipe\nEnglish -ship"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "*skapjaną",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/skapjaną"
    ],
    [
      "*-skapiz",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/-skapiz"
    ],
    [
      "*-skapi",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/-skapi"
    ],
    [
      "-sċiepe",
      "-sciepe#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "-schipe",
      "-schipe#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "-schipe",
      "-schipe#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "-shippe",
      "-shippe#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "-sċiepe",
      "-sciepe#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*-skapi",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/-skapi"
    ],
    [
      "*-skapiz",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/-skapiz"
    ],
    [
      "-schip",
      "-schip#Scots"
    ],
    [
      "-skip",
      "-skip#West_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "-schap",
      "-schap#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "-schaft",
      "-schaft#German"
    ],
    [
      "-skap",
      "-skap#Swedish"
    ],
    [
      "-skapur",
      "-skapur#Icelandic"
    ],
    [
      "shape",
      "shape#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "suffix",
      "glosses": [
        "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 develops one's character."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "countable",
        "morpheme",
        "uncountable"
      ],
      "recordId": "97f53a6e37651806b804e561517254906066767e4354e011b44b7b32c1f2d55e",
      "rawRecordSha256": "39467ff3e0671f2fcfca6916c250ecc355afa3e19115bcd9c79cbd53c65a696d",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 278696
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for -ship →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-LXNoaXA