The suffix ‘hood’ is added to some nouns to indicate a particular state or period in someone’s life, or a group sharing a specified condition or state. Here are some examples:
STATES or PERIODS IN LIFE
(example: the state of being an adult or a widow, or the period when you are a child)
adulthood, babyhood, bachelorhood, boyhood, childhood, fatherhood, motherhood, maidenhood, manhood, womanhood, parenthood, seniorhood, spinsterhood, twinhood, widowhood …
GROUPS
- brotherhood (group of people linked by a common interest, a fraternity)
- priesthood (the position of being a priest / the whole body of priests)
- sisterhood (a group of women with a common interest / a community of nuns)
OTHER
- falsehood (a lie, something that is not true)
- hardihood (bravery, courage, fortitude)
- knighthood (have the title of knight and be allowed to put ‘Sir’ before your name)
- likelihood (something that will possibly or is likely to happen)
- livelihood (your source of income, the way you earn the money you need to live on)
- nationhood (having the status of an independent nation)
- neighbourhood (the area where we live with our neighbours)
- sainthood (the quality or state of being a saint)
- starhood (the state of being a star – astronomic object or celebrity)
