distaff

distaff
    adj 1: characteristic of or peculiar to a woman; "female
           sensitiveness"; "female suffrage" [syn: {female},
           {distaff}]
    n 1: the sphere of work by women
    2: the staff on which wool or flax is wound before spinning
    

Distaff \Dis"taff\, n.; pl. {Distaffs}, rarely {Distaves}. [OE.
   distaf, dysestafe, AS. distaef; cf. LG. diesse the bunch of
   flax on a distaff, and E. dizen. See {Staff}.]
   1. The staff for holding a bunch of flax, tow, or wool, from
      which the thread is drawn in spinning by hand.
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            I will the distaff hold; come thou and spin.
                                                  --Fairfax.
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   2. Used as a symbol of the holder of a distaff; hence, a
      woman; women, collectively.
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            His crown usurped, a distaff on the throne.
                                                  --Dryden.
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            Some say the crozier, some say the distaff was too
            busy.                                 --Howell.
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   Note: The plural is regular, but Distaves occurs in Beaumont
         & Fletcher.
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   {Descent by distaff}, descent on the mother's side.

   {Distaff Day}, or {Distaff's Day}, the morrow of the
      Epiphany, that is, January 7, because working at the
      distaff was then resumed, after the Christmas festival; --
      called also {Rock Day}, a distaff being called a rock.
      --Shipley.
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Distaff
(Heb. pelek, a "circle"), the instrument used for twisting
threads by a whirl (Prov. 31:19).