Lordship

How to spell lordship

8 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce lordship

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does lordship mean?

1. nounThe rank, authority, or estate of a lord, also used as a title of respect for a nobleman or judge.

Lordship in a sentence

• The barrister addressed the judge as your lordship throughout the trial.

• The old manor and its lands were held under the lordship of a single family for centuries.

Where does lordship come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This word joins two native English elements. The first, 'lord', comes from the Old English hlaford, which began life as hlafweard, literally 'loaf keeper' or 'bread guardian', from hlaf 'bread' and weard 'keeper'; it described the head of a household who fed his dependants. The second part, '-ship', comes from the Old English -scipe, a suffix meaning 'state, condition, or rank', the same ending found in friendship and hardship. By the medieval period the combination meant the rank, authority, or domain of a lord, and it later became a respectful form of address for a nobleman or judge, as in 'his lordship'. Because both halves are thoroughly Germanic, the spelling is plain and phonetic, with the only mild trap being the silent shaping of the 'd' before the 'sh'.

How the word is built

• lord (from Old English hlaford: master, ruler)
• -ship (state, rank, or condition)