sonship

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   the state, status, or relation of being a son

   The argument contrasts the relation of fatherhood with that of sonship.

2. 2
   noun

   in Christian theology, the status of Christ or believers as sons of God

   The theologian described adoption as participation in divine sonship.

From son + -ship, the Old English suffix scipe meaning "state, condition, office, or relation." The word has both an ordinary relational sense and a specialized theological history.

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