different between distaff vs spinningwheel
distaff
English
Etymology
From Middle English distaf (“distaff”), from Old English distæf (“distaff”), from *dis- (“bunch of flax”) (cognate with Middle Low German dise (“bunch of flax on a distaff”)) + stæf (“staff”) (from Proto-Germanic *stabaz (“staff, stick”), from Proto-Indo-European *steb?-). Senses 3 and 5 (“anything traditionally done by or considered of importance to women only”; “a woman, or women considered as a group”) refer to the fact that spinning was traditionally done by women.
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /?d?st??f/
- (General American) IPA(key): /?d?stæf/
- Hyphenation: di?staff
Noun
distaff (plural distaffs or distaves)
- 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 (as indicated by the etymology of the word), but modern distaffs are often made of cords weighted with beads, and attached to the wrist.
- The part of a spinning wheel from which fibre is drawn to be spun.
- Anything traditionally done by or considered of importance to women only.
- A race for female horses only.
- (also collective) A woman, or women considered as a group.
Alternative forms
- distaffe (obsolete)
Derived terms
- Distaff Day
Translations
Adjective
distaff (not comparable)
- Of, relating to, or characteristic of women.
- Synonyms: female, maternal
- Antonyms: male, paternal, spear
- Of the maternal side of a family.
Derived terms
- distaff side
Translations
References
Further reading
- distaff on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
Middle English
Noun
distaff
- Alternative form of distaf
distaff From the web:
spinningwheel
spinningwheel From the web:
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