-manship

1. a combination of -man and -ship, used as an independent suffix with the meaning “skill in a particular activity, especially of a competitive nature”: brinkmanship; seamanship; one-upmanship; sometimes compounded with a plural noun by analogy with craftsmanship, marksmanship, sportsmanship, etc.

Example Sentences

The deftness of Smith's drafts(wo)manship can often be overlooked in her E.T.-proportioned figures.

From The Daily Beast

This old lady (old in his young eyes) was always at him about his manship, as if it were a crime and disgrace.

From Project Gutenberg

At Manship's name the Frenchman's face lit up and he began eagerly to talk of the quarter where they had all lived in Italy.

From Project Gutenberg

Sports′manship, practice or skill of a sportsman; Sports′woman, a she-sportsman.

From Project Gutenberg

Work′manship, the skill of a workman: manner of making: work done; Work′-mas′ter, a skilled or directing workman, esp.

From Project Gutenberg

Westmore turned toward the Arethusa, laughed at the visible influence of Manship.

From Project Gutenberg

Words That Use -manship

What does -manship mean?

The combining form -manship is used like a suffix meaning “skill,” particularly in reference to activities that require a particular skill.

The form -manship comes from a combination of the forms -man and -ship. The form -man comes from Old English mann, which could refer to both an adult male and a human being in general. The form -ship is a suffix denoting a condition or character, from Old English -scipe.

In this way, -manship typically indicates the skill of a person in a particular activity.

Examples of -manship

Two common examples of words that use -manship are craftsmanship and penmanship. Despite the use of -man, such terms are not usually interpreted as gender-specific. However, the same may not be the case for the base word in such terms (the one that refers to a person). For example, swordsmanship is usually used without regard to the gender of the person who possesses the skill, but the word swordsman—though it can be used in a gender-neutral way—traditionally implies a man due to its ending. The same applies to the word craftsman. For this reason, some people may avoid using terms with -manship due to its potential implications.

Still, there are cases in which a word has taken on a meaning that goes beyond indicating a skill related to its base word. The word sportsmanship, for example, now most commonly refers not to skill as a sportsman, but to fair conduct and good-natured treatment of other competitors.

For more guidance, check out the Thesaurus.com guide to gender-neutral language.

What are some words that use the combining form -manship?

• craftsmanship
• penmanship
• sportsmanship
• seamanship
• gamesmanship
• brinkmanship

Break it down!

Given the meaning of -manship, what is seamanship? (Hint: you would expect a sailor to have it.)