'abbotship' originates from Old English, specifically the word 'abbodscīpe', where 'abbod' meant 'abbot' and '-scīpe' denoted 'state or condition'.

'abbodscīpe' transformed into the Middle English word 'abbotship', and eventually became the modern English word 'abbotship'.

Initially, it meant 'the state or condition of being an abbot', and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.