| Library / English Dictionary |
DISTAFF
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
The staff on which wool or flax is wound before spinning
Classified under:
Nouns denoting man-made objects
Hypernyms ("distaff" is a kind of...):
staff (a strong rod or stick with a specialized utilitarian purpose)
Holonyms ("distaff" is a part of...):
spinning wheel (a small domestic spinning machine with a single spindle that is driven by hand or foot)
Sense 2
Meaning:
The sphere of work by women
Classified under:
Nouns denoting stable states of affairs
Hypernyms ("distaff" is a kind of...):
area; arena; domain; field; orbit; sphere (a particular environment or walk of life)
Derivation:
distaff (characteristic of or peculiar to a woman)
II. (adjective)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Characteristic of or peculiar to a woman
Example:
female suffrage
Synonyms:
distaff; female
Classified under:
Similar:
feminine (associated with women and not with men)
Derivation:
distaff (the sphere of work by women)
