Godhod

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The condition or status of being a deity, possessing the nature and powers attributed to a divine being
2. The state of having divine rank or the supreme, supernatural nature that belongs to a god
3. Divinity as a condition, meaning the quality of being worshipped as, or elevated to the rank of, a god

Etymology: The suffix in "godhood" is not the one in "hood" meaning a head covering. The garment comes from a different Old English word, "hōd," while the suffix comes from "hād," which meant a person's rank, state, or condition. That older sense survives in "childhood," "knighthood," and "manhood." Attaching it to "god" produces a noun for the condition of being a deity. The base is the ordinary Old English "god," shared with other Germanic languages. Put together, the two parts give a plain, literal compound: "god-state." Its use is mostly in religious, mythological, and fantastical contexts, where writers need a term for divine status as a thing in itself.