The office, position, or period of service as a defensor or defender.
From defensor + -ship (Old English suffix denoting office, rank, or condition). The -ship suffix creates nouns indicating a role, status, or the tenure in that role.
The -ship suffix is magical—it transforms any title into a duration or responsibility: a captain has a captaincy, a knight a knighthood, a defensor a defensorship. It's the English language's way of saying 'this person held this role.'
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.