distaff

[ dis-taf, -tahf ]
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noun
  1. a staff with a cleft end for holding wool, flax, etc., from which the thread is drawn in spinning by hand.

  2. a similar attachment on a spinning wheel.

  1. Archaic.

    • a woman or women collectively.

    • women's work.

adjective
  1. Sometimes Offensive. noting, pertaining to, characteristic of, or suitable for a female.: See also distaff side.

Origin of distaff

1
before 1000; Middle English distaf,Old English distæf, equivalent to dis- (cognate with Low German diesse bunch of flax on a distaff; cf. dizen) + stæfstaff1

usage note For distaff

A distaff is the stick onto which wool or flax is wound in spinning. Since spinning was traditionally done by females, distaff took on figurative meanings relating to women or women’s work. In the sense of “female,” the noun distaff is archaic, but the adjective is in current use: distaff chores, a distaff point of view; the distaff side of the family. Women who find the term offensive are probably aware of its origin in female stereotypes. Another current use of the adjective is in reference to horses: a distaff race is for fillies or mares.

Words Nearby distaff

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use distaff in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for distaff

distaff

/ (ˈdɪstɑːf) /


noun
  1. the rod on which flax is wound preparatory to spinning

  2. (modifier) of or concerning women: offensive to distaff members of the audience

Origin of distaff

1
Old English distæf, from dis- bunch of flax + stæf staff 1; see dizen

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012