generalship

English

Etymology

From general ‎ -ship.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈdʒɛn(ə)ɹəlʃɪp/

Noun

generalship (plural generalships)

1. (military) The position or office of a general. [from 16th c.]

   Synonym: generalcy

2. The term of office of a military general. [from 17th c.]

   George Washington's generalship was marked by both amazing victories and stunning blunders, neither of which would have happened to someone with more formal officer training.

3. The skills or performance of a good general; military leadership, strategy. [from 17th c.]
   • 1893, William M[ecklenburg] Polk, “The Kentucky Campaign”, in Leonidas Polk, Bishop and General, volume II, London: Longmans, Green, and Co. and New York: […], page 158:

     General Polk stated, with all respect to General Bragg’s great abilities in the direction of organization and discipline, that he had been wanting in the higher elements of generalship in the conduct of the campaign; […]

   • 1990, Peter Hopkirk, The Great Game, Folio Society, published 2010, page 277:

     At the same time, awed by the brilliant and daring generalship which had enabled the Russian to capture their city with so small a force, the elders gave him the honorific title of ‘Lion of Tashkent’.

   • 2002, Colin Jones, The Great Nation, Penguin, published 2003, page 136:

     Virtually the whole of the region fell to Saxe's ingenious generalship.

4. By extension, leadership, good management. [from 18th c.]

   Under my generalship my fine troop of brats picked up every scrap of litter in that lot.

Derived terms

• governor-generalship