Other forms: sisterhoods
Sisterhood is the bond between women, or a religious community. A sense of sisterhood, the sisterhood, join a sisterhood.
The feminist sense means solidarity among women as women, and sisterhood is powerful was a slogan of the 1970s. The religious sense is a community of nuns, which is the older one. Note brotherhood, built the same way; and that the -hood ending means a state or a group, as in neighbourhood and childhood.
1nounbondThe bond of solidarity between women.
“The women at the factory felt a strong sense of sisterhood during the strike.”
2nounsisterhoodA religious community of women.
“She joined a sisterhood of nuns who ran a hospital in the mountains.”
sisterhood is a bond or community.
Middle English susterhede is sister plus -hood, from Old English had, a state or condition. Childhood, neighbourhood and priesthood are built the same way.
Middle English
susterhede
English, today
sisterhood
From Middle English susterhede; equivalent to sister + -hood (with a modification in the suffix).
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA