distaff

English

Wikipedia

Etymology

From Middle English distaf, from Old English distæf, from dis- cognate with Middle Low German dise (“bunch of flax”) + stæf (“staff”).

Adjective

distaff (not comparable)

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of women
2. referring to the maternal side of a family

Synonyms

• (of, relating to, or characteristic of women): female, maternal

Antonyms

• (of, relating to, or characteristic of women): male, paternal

Translations

of, relating to, or characteristic of women

Bulgarian: женски (bg) Icelandic: kven- (is)

Russian: женский (ru) Swedish: spinn-

Derived terms

• distaff side

Noun

distaff (plural distaffs)

1. a device to which a bundle of natural fibres (often wool, flax, or cotton) are attached for temporary storage, before being drawn off gradually to spin thread. A traditional distaff is a staff with flax fibres tied loosely to it (see Etymology), but modern distaffs are often made of cords weighted with beads, and attached to the wrist.
2. the part of a spinning wheel from which fibre is drawn to be spun
3. anything traditionally done by or considered of importance to women only
4. women considered as a group

Quotations

• For examples of the usage of this term see the citations page.

Translations

part of a spinning wheel

Bulgarian: хурка (bg) f. Dutch: rokken n., spinrokken n., spinstok m. French: quenouille (fr) f.

Greek: ρόκα (el) (róka) f. Spanish: rueca f. Swedish: slända c., spinnrockshuvud n.

anything traditionally done by or considered of importance to women only

Bulgarian: женска работа (bg)

Swedish: kvinnogöra c.

women considered as a group