different between importance vs distaff

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French importance, from Medieval Latin importantia.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?m?p??t?ns/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /?m?p??t?ns/, [-?n?s]

Noun

importance (countable and uncountable, plural importances)

1. The quality or condition of being important or worthy of note.
2. significance or prominence.
3. personal status or standing.
4. Something of importance.

Translations

French

Etymology

From Medieval Latin importantia.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??.p??.t??s/
• Rhymes: -??s

Noun

importance f (plural importances)

1. importance
2. significance

Related terms

• important

Further reading

• “importance” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Anagrams

• comprenait

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)

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 (as indicated by the etymology of the word), 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. A race for female horses only.
5. (also collective) A woman, or women considered as a group.

Alternative forms

• distaffe (obsolete)

Derived terms

• Distaff Day

Translations

Adjective

distaff (not comparable)

1. Of, relating to, or characteristic of women.

   Synonyms: female, maternal

   Antonyms: male, paternal, spear
2. Of the maternal side of a family.

Derived terms

• distaff side

Translations

References

Further reading

• distaff on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Middle English

Noun

distaff

1. Alternative form of distaf