The state, quality, or condition of being a hero; the rank, dignity, or role of a hero.
Combines 'hero' with '-ship' (Old English scepe), a suffix creating abstract nouns of state or condition (also in 'friendship,' 'leadership,' 'hardship').
The '-ship' suffix is one of English's oldest and most productive—it turns any social role into an abstract concept, which is why we can talk about 'friendship' as a quality but also use '-ship' for literally any title, from 'kingship' to 'penmanship' to 'spaceship.'
Compounds with 'hero' inherit the gendered history of 'hero' itself. 'Heroship' assumes a default heroic subject coded as male.
Use without qualification; the term is architecturally neutral. Specify gender of historical figures only when contextually relevant.
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