distaff
pronunciation
How to pronounce distaff in British English:
UK [ˈdɪstɑ:f]
How to pronounce distaff in American English:
US [ˈdɪstæf]
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- Noun:
- the sphere of work by women
- the staff on which wool or flax is wound before spinning
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- Adjective:
- characteristic of or peculiar to a woman
Word Origin
- distaff
- distaff: [OE] The compound noun distaff ‘rod for holding flax, wool, etc in spinning’ was a late Old English formation from *dis ‘bunch of flax’ (a word which survives in bedizen [17], a derivative of the obsolete dizen, which originally meant ‘put flax on to a rod’ and hence ‘dress up in finery’) and staff. The now fairly archaic use of phrases such as distaff side to refer to ‘women’ comes from the traditional pigeonholing of spinning as a woman’s job.=> bedizen
- distaff (n.)
- Old English distæf "stick that holds flax for spinning," from dis- "bunch of flax" (cognates: Middle Low German dise, Low German diesse "a bunch of flax on a distaff;" see bedizen) + stæf "stick, staff" (see staff). A synonym in English for "the female sex, female authority in the family," since at least the late 1400s, probably because in the Middle Ages spinning was typically done by women. St. Distaff's Day was Jan. 7, when "women resumed their spinning and other ordinary employments after the holidays" [OED].
Example
- 1. The worker is pushing the distaff .
- 2. So , having no supper , she sat her down on the doorstep , and , bringing out her distaff , began to spin .
- 3. At the moment several new factors are combining to favour the distaff side more .
- 4. May it fall on the head of joab and on all his father 's house ; and may there not fail from the house of joab one who has a discharge , or who is a leper , or who takes hold of a distaff , or who falls by the sword , or who lacks bread .