The office, status, or position of being a member or officer of a guild; membership in a craft guild.
From gild (guild) + -ship (state, office, or condition). The -ship suffix creates nouns representing status or office, as in 'membership,' 'kingship,' 'leadership.'
Gildship was serious business—it represented years of apprenticeship, initiation fees, and professional standing. Losing your gildship meant social and economic disaster, making guild membership as precious and carefully guarded as credentials are today.
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