The state, condition, or social position of being a bride; the period of engagement or newlywed status.
From 'bride' with the '-ship' suffix, creating an abstract noun for the condition or role of being a bride. This formation is parallel to 'kingship' or 'friendship,' using a suffix that transformed concrete nouns into abstract status terms.
Just as 'kingship' describes the abstract quality of being a king, 'brideship' encapsulates not just a single day but an entire social condition—and it's interesting that we rarely use this word today because modern English treats 'bride' more as a temporary label than as a formal social status the way historical English did.
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