chieftainship

== English == === Etymology === From chieftain +‎ -ship. Piecewise doublet of captainship. === Noun === chieftainship (countable and uncountable, plural chieftainships) (uncountable) The state of being a chieftain 1852 Commission to Inquire into the Past and Present State of the Kafirs Shortly after the death of his father, Chaka obtained the chieftainship of the Zulu nation, through the influence of his patron. (countable) The area ruled by a chieftain === References === “chieftainship”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.