The office, position, or term of being a chairman; the responsibilities and authority held by a person presiding over an organization, committee, or meeting.
From 'chairman' + '-ship' (a suffix meaning office or position, from Old English 'sciepe'). The '-ship' suffix is used for official roles: leadership, kingship, presidency, etc.
The '-ship' suffix is a brilliant part of English—it turns any title into an abstract concept of the role itself, which is why we can talk about 'the dignity of the chairmanship' rather than just 'the chairman.'
Derives from chairman as the unmarked default. While now often used gender-neutrally, the -ship suffix historically attached to male-gendered titles, embedding masculine default in institutional language.
Use chair or leadership when possible. Chairmanship is increasingly acceptable in gender-neutral contexts, but chair is clearer and shorter.
["chair","leadership"]
Women have held leadership positions and institutional authority; using gender-neutral terms acknowledges their equal standing without linguistic redefinition.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.