the state, condition, or office of being a hag or witch; witchcraft or the practice of being a witch.
Formed from 'hag' plus the suffix '-ship' (denoting state or condition), following the pattern of Old English and Middle English word formation for abstract nouns describing social roles or conditions.
The suffix '-ship' typically marks dignified positions like 'kingship' or 'leadership,' so calling witchcraft 'hagship' was a somewhat sarcastic or ironic way of speaking that mixed mockery with genuine fear.
'Hag' + 'ship' (status/position). Invents a formal role for female malevolence, naturalizing witchcraft as an institution of female power rather than male persecution.
Avoid. Use 'position,' 'office,' or 'role' with explicit context. Do not use to denote female authority generically.
["position","office","role","rank"]
Women never held institutional 'hagship.' Witch hunts destroyed women's actual authority—healers, midwives, elders—by reframing it as supernatural threat.
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