bipartisanship
UK[ˌbaɪˈpɑːtɪzənʃɪp]US[ˌbaɪˈpɑːrtɪzənʃɪp]
n
the agreement or cooperation between two political parties that usually oppose each other's policies.
Morpheme Breakdown
bi
partisan
ship
bi
two
partisan
adherent
ship
state
Etymology
the term is a modern american english construction, built from classical elements to describe a specific political concept. the prefix 'bi-', from latin, establishes the foundational idea of 'two'. this combines with 'partisan', a word of italian origin via french, which originally denoted a member of a faction or armed band. the suffix '-ship', of germanic origin, is added to transform the noun into an abstract state or quality. thus, the literal construction "the state of being of two parties" evolved to specifically mean the condition of cooperation between two major, typically opposing, political parties.
Analysis
Structure: bi (two) + partisan (adherent) + ship (state)
bi: from latin 'bi-', meaning 'two'. a numerical prefix.
partisan: from italian 'partigiano' (via french 'partisan'), meaning a strong supporter of a party, cause, or person. functions as the core noun.
ship: from old english '-scipe', a suffix forming nouns denoting a state, condition, or quality.
Examples
the bill was passed with rare bipartisanship, receiving support from both democrats and republicans.
the president called for a new spirit of bipartisanship to address the national crisis.
true bipartisanship on major issues has become increasingly elusive in recent years.