n.
Function: noun suffix
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English -scipe; akin to Old High German -scaft -ship, Old English scieppan to shape ― more at SHAPE
1 : state : condition : quality <friend ship >
2 : office : dignity : profession <clerk ship >
3 : art : skill <horseman ship >
4 : something showing, exhibiting, or embodying a quality or state <town ship > <fellow ship >
5 : one entitled to a (specified) rank, title, or appellation <his Lord ship >
6 : the body of persons participating in a specified activity <reader ship > <listener ship >