distaff

Meanings

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 (as indicated by the etymology of the word), but modern distaffs are often made of cords weighted with beads, and attached to the wrist.
• The part of a spinning wheel from which fibre is drawn to be spun.
• Anything traditionally done by or considered of importance to women only.
• A race for female horses only.
• A woman, or women considered as a group.

Adjective

• Of, relating to, or characteristic of women.
• Of the maternal side of a family.

Origin

• From Middle English distaf ("distaff"), from Old English distæf ("distaff"), from *dis- (cognate with Middle Low German dise ("bunch of flax on a distaff")) + stæf (from Proto-Germanic *stabaz ("staff, stick"), from Proto-Indo-European *stebʰ-). Senses 3 and 5 (“anything traditionally done by or considered of importance to women only”; “a woman, or women considered as a group”) refer to the fact that spinning was traditionally done by women.