membership
noun
- concept of being a member of a social group
Wiktionary
noun
Etymology: Etymology tree English member Proto-Germanic *skapjaną Proto-Germanic *-skapiz Proto-West Germanic *-skapi Old English -sċiepe Middle English -schipe English -ship English membership From member + -ship.
- The state of being a member of a group or organization.
“The terms of membership agreement were vague.”
“He has memberships in clubs in three cities.”
- The body of members of an organization.
“The memberships of the state chapters elect delegates to the national convention.”
- The fact of being a member of a set.
verb
Etymology: Etymology tree English member Proto-Germanic *skapjaną Proto-Germanic *-skapiz Proto-West Germanic *-skapi Old English -sċiepe Middle English -schipe English -ship English membership From member + -ship.
- To classify (someone) as belonging to a certain group or community.
“Whatever the topic of the conversation the speaker must ‘membership’ his listener, put him into one of two or more mutually exclusive boxes. Each time a topic changes the listener must be re-membershipped, and during a conversation the same person may be membershipped as a doctor, a rugby player, a liberal, a gardener, a bridge player.”