About The Word Distaff
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Distaff
| Distaff Definition And Meaning |
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What's The Definition Of Distaff?
[n] the staff on which wool or flax is wound before spinning
[n] the sphere of work by women [adj] characteristic of or peculiar to a woman; "female sensitiveness"; "female suffrage" Synonyms | Synonyms for Distaff: female | feminine Related Terms | Find terms related to Distaff: See Also | area | arena | domain | field | orbit | sphere | spinning wheel | staff Distaff In Webster's Dictionary \Dis"taff\, n.; pl. {Distaffs}, rarely {Distaves}. [OE.
distaf, dysestafe, AS. distaef; cf. LG. diesse the bunch of
flax on a distaff, and E. dizen. See {Staff}.]
1. The staff for holding a bunch of flax, tow, or wool, from
which the thread is drawn in spinning by hand.
I will the distaff hold; come thou and spin.
--Fairfax.
2. Used as a symbol of the holder of a distaff; hence, a
woman; women, collectively.
His crown usurped, a distaff on the throne.
--Dryden.
Some say the crozier, some say the distaff was too
busy. --Howell.
Note: The plural is regular, but Distaves occurs in Beaumont
& Fletcher.
{Descent by distaff}, descent on the mother's side.
{Distaff Day}, or {Distaff's Day}, the morrow of the
Epiphany, that is, January 7, because working at the
distaff was then resumed, after the Christmas festival; --
called also {Rock Day}, a distaff being called a rock.
--Shipley.
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