distaff
noun /ˈdɪstɑːf/
/ˈdɪstæf/
Idioms - a stick that was used in the past for holding wool when it was spun by hand
- (in noun compounds) female or relating to women
- ‘Thelma and Louise’ was a distaff buddy movie with a strong feminist agenda.
Word OriginOld English distæf: the first element is apparently related to Middle Low German dise, disene ‘distaff, bunch of flax’; the second is staff. The sense ‘concerning women’ arose because spinning was traditionally done by women.
Idioms
on the distaff side
- (old-fashioned) on the woman’s side of the family