Archaic honorific form combining 'good' with '-ship' (a title of respect); a form of address or reference to a person of standing, like 'Your Goodship.'
From 'good' plus '-ship' (suffix forming titles of respect, from Old English '-scipe'). Similar formations include 'worship' (originally 'worth-ship') and 'kinship,' where '-ship' marks relationship or status. Used as a title of address in Early Modern English.
The English language has these wonderful suffix-based titles: 'Your Worship' (for a magistrate), 'Your Lordship,' 'Your Goodship'—it's like a formula where you plug in the quality. 'Goodship' is charmingly democratic compared to 'Lordship'—you don't need to be nobility, just genuinely good, to deserve the title.
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