The story
Origin obscure. Perhaps from been, bene (“prayer, petition”) + -ship, and/or from dialectal bein, bien (“in good condition, well-to-do, cosy”) + -ship. More at bene, bein, bain.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Today it means: Worship; goodness. Full definition →
Origin obscure. Perhaps from been, bene (“prayer, petition”) + -ship, and/or from dialectal bein, bien (“in good condition, well-to-do, cosy”) + -ship. More at bene, bein, bain.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.