English
wikipedia
Etymology
From ME. distaf < OE. distæf < dis- cognate with Middle Low German dise "bunch of flax" + stæf "staff".
Adjective
distaff
- of, relating to, or characteristic of women
- referring to the maternal side of a family
Synonyms
(of, relating to, or characteristic of women): female, maternal
Antonyms
(of, relating to, or characteristic of women): male, paternal, spear
Translations
trans-top|of, relating to, or characteristic of women
trans-mid
Swedish: spinn-
trans-bottom
Derived terms
distaff side
Noun
distaff
- a spindle, the rod used for spinning and then winding natural fibres, especially wool.
- the part of a spinning wheel from which thread is drawn to be spun
- anything traditionally done by or considered of importance to women only
- women considered as a group
Translations
trans-top|part of a spinning wheel
Dutch: rokken n, spinrokken n, spinstok m
French: quenouille f
trans-mid
Swedish: slända c, spinnrockshuvud n
trans-bottom
trans-top|anything traditionally done by or considered of importance to women only
trans-mid
Swedish: kvinnogöra c
trans-bottom
trans-top|women considered as a group
trans-mid
trans-bottom
io:distaff
fi:distaff
te:distaff
vi:distaff
zh:distaff
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