Lordschipe

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Power, rule or dominion exercised by a lord over people or territory ; the estate or lands a feudal lord holds ; the formal title of address used for a peer or judge
2. The authority a feudal lord wielded over his subjects ; a territory or estate under a lord's control ; a respectful form of address given to noblemen and magistrates
3. Dominion held by a noble over others ; the manor or domain that belongs to a lord ; an honorific used when addressing a lord or a judge

Etymology: "Lord" began in Old English as "hlāford," a compound of "hlāf," meaning "loaf" or bread, and "weard," meaning "keeper" or "guardian." A lord was, literally, the keeper of the loaf, the man who provided food for his household and dependants. The sense of one who holds authority over others grew out of that role of provision. "Lordschipe" is a Middle English spelling of the noun, built on that base with the suffix "-scipe," the ancestor of modern "-ship." The suffix marked a state, condition or quality, so the noun named the power and rank a lord held.