distaff

  1. Adjective.  of, relating to, or characteristic of women.
  2. Adjective.  referring to the maternal side of a family.
  3. Noun.  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 (see Etymology), but modern distaffs are often made of cords weighted with beads, and attached to the wrist.
  4. Noun.  the part of a spinning wheel from which fibre is drawn to be spun.
  5. Noun.  anything traditionally done by or considered of importance to women only.
  6. Noun.  women considered as a group.

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This entry was last updated on RefTopia from its source on 3/20/2012.