officershipn.
/ˈɒfᵻsəʃɪp/, U.S. /ˈɔfəsərˌʃɪp/, /ˈɑfəsərˌʃɪp/ The position, rank, or profession of an officer; the function or conduct of an officer; (also) a staff of officers.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > warrior > soldier > leader or commander > officer or soldier of rank > [noun] > position of
officership1598
1598 in R. D. MacEwan Old Glasgow Weavers (1916) 14 The said maisteris..frethis the said sevin brether of craft of thair serving in the officiarship, and..decernis ilk ane of the said brether of craft to paye to the dekin xiijs. iiijd.
1623 Glasgow Hammermen 26 The dekin and haill craft dischargis the said Adam of his officership.
1775 Ld. Percy Let. 9 June (1902) 54 The retreat by Lord Percy was deemed a piece of masterly officership in bringing off his men with so little loss.
1856 C. M. Yonge Daisy Chain (1879) i. xxiv. 249 He..shook hands with him, as if able, in the plenitude of his officership, to afford plenty of good-humoured superiority.
1883 New Eng. Jrnl. Educ. 18 72 To the whole officership, under the very popular and able presidency of Mr. W——.
1890 Pall Mall Gaz. 13 Aug. 1/2 To the vacant officership, Mr. B——..has been appointed.
1917 A. MacLeish Let. 22 Apr. (1983) 38 The number of men who by education and physique are fitted for officerships is limited.
1943 Amer. Sociol. Rev. 8 424/1 In the larger families where the family heads have achieved officerships, the younger members may get them through the reflective process.
1975 Nature 24 July p. ix/1 (advt.) Research officerships in nuclear structure physics.
1986 Dict. National Biogr. 1971–80 597/1 He was awarded the croix de guerre avec palmes, the officership of the Legion of Honour [etc.].
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2004; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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