About The Word Distaff
Learn about the word Distaff to help solve your crossword puzzle. Discover Distaff definitions and meaning, origins, synonyms, related terms and more at the free Crossword Dictionary.
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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