Priestships

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A collective term for the offices or positions held by those in religious service or ministry
2. Referring to the roles and responsibilities associated with becoming a priest in a religious context
3. Denoting the various appointments or stations that individuals may hold within a religious hierarchy

Etymology: "Priestships" is simply the plural of "priestship," which is itself a plain formation: the noun "priest" with the suffix "-ship," the same ending found in "friendship," "worship" and "lordship." The suffix comes from an Old English noun meaning "shape, condition, or state," so a priestship is literally the state or condition of being a priest. The same construction turns up across the Germanic languages. Dutch has "priesterschap," German "Priesterschaft," and Swedish "prästerskap," all built the same way on the word for priest. The English form is a doublet of "presbytership," a near-twin that came into the language by a different route and shares the same underlying idea of the ministry as an office.

Synonyms: priesthoods, clerical positions, clerical offices