Acquaintanceships

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A type of relationship characterized by a level of familiarity or social interaction that is less intimate than friendship
2. A social connection or bond established between individuals who know each other but are not close friends
3. A form of association in which two people have a mutual recognition or awareness but limited personal connection

Etymology: The word "acquaintanceships" is simply the plural of "acquaintanceship," which is "acquaintance" with the suffix "-ship" added. Its second half carries a long ancestry. "-ship" descends from an Old English "-sċiepe," which in turn traces back through Proto-West Germanic "-skapi" and Proto-Germanic "-skapiz" to a root meaning "shape" or "creation," the same root that gives English "shape" and the verb "-scape" in "landscape." Originally the suffix meant something like "state, condition, or quality," as in "friendship" or "kingship." The first half, "acquaintance," is itself a borrowing from Anglo-French, built on the verb "acquaint," meaning to make known. So an acquaintanceship is, literally, the condition of being made known to one another. Attaching "-ship" to an existing noun was a productive pattern in English, and "acquaintanceship" follows that pattern to name the bond itself rather than the person.

Synonyms: relationships, connections

Antonyms: estrangement, alienation