Advocateship

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The state of acting as a supporter or defender of particular beliefs or causes
2. The condition or status of serving as an active supporter or legal representative for a cause or client
3. The position held when one formally supports or pleads for particular rights, interests, or ideas

Etymology: "Advocateship" is a plain English formation: the noun "advocate" with the suffix "-ship" attached. "Advocate" itself came into English through Old French from Latin "advocatus," meaning someone called to a person's side, typically to speak on their behalf, and the Latin root "vocare" ("to call") sits behind that sense. The suffix "-ship" is an old Germanic element, related to the Old English word "scieppan" meaning "to shape" or "create," and it signals a state, quality, or office, as in "friendship" or "lordship." Joining the two gives a word meaning the condition or office of acting as an advocate. Because "-ship" is so productive, speakers can attach it to almost any person-noun to name the status it implies, which is why "advocateship" follows the same pattern as "professorship" or "scholarship" without having its own separate history.