Saintship

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The state or condition of being a saint is often characterized by a life of virtue, holiness, and moral integrity while also being recognized for extraordinary acts of devotion
2. The concept of a saint's condition may encompass elevated spiritual status, exemplary moral standing, and recognition by a religious community for one's piety
3. The term refers to the quality or status attributed to someone acknowledged as a saint, which includes exceptional virtue, a sacred lifestyle, and reverence by followers

Etymology: "Saintship" is a plain compound: the noun "saint" with the suffix "-ship" attached. The suffix comes from an old Germanic word meaning something like "shape, form, or state," which is also the source of the English noun "ship" in its older sense of a condition or quality. Its ancestors run back through Proto-Germanic and Old English, where a related form, "-sċiepe," was used to make nouns for states and conditions. The suffix did not stay on ships. In Middle English it had become "-schipe," and by the modern period "-ship" was a productive way to form abstract nouns from other words. Words such as "friendship," "hardship," and "kingship" come from the same pattern, so "saintship" follows a familiar model: take a noun for a person and add "-ship" to name the condition or rank that person has.