Headmastership

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The position or office of being the principal administrator and educational leader of a school, particularly a preparatory or secondary institution
2. The administrative role and authority held by the principal leader responsible for managing operations and educational direction of a secondary school
3. The position of authority overseeing the management and educational leadership of a school, particularly in a secondary or preparatory context

Etymology: "Headmastership" is a plain compound: "headmaster" with the suffix "-ship" attached. "Headmaster" itself is built from "head" and "master," and the word "master" in its older sense of a person in charge of teaching or ruling gave the school role its name. The suffix "-ship" is an old English element meaning state, condition, or office, as in "friendship," "lordship," or "partnership," and it is used here to name the office and authority a headmaster holds. Attaching "-ship" to a person-noun to name the office or the period of holding it is a productive pattern in English, which is why the word reads as a straightforward formation rather than a borrowing. Its meaning follows directly from its parts: the post, the authority, and the responsibilities that go with leading a school.

Synonyms: principalship, leadership, administratorship, directorship, management