Look up: distaff

1. Distaff
   a staff with a notch at one end through which wool is drawn by hand.
   Found on http://ablemedia.com/ctcweb/glossary/glo
   
   
2. distaff
   [n] - the sphere of work by women 2. [n] - the staff on which wool or flax is wound before spinning
   Found on http://www.webdictionary.co.uk/definitio
   
   
3. distaff
   a staff for holding the bunch of flax, tow, or wool from which thread is drawn in spinning by hand or with the spinning wheel. Category: Various industries and crafts
   Found on http://www.mijnwoordenboek.nl/definition
   
   
4. Distaff
   Dis'taff noun ; plural Distaffs , rarely Distaves . [ Middle English distaf , dysestafe , Anglo-Saxon distaef ; confer LG. diesse the bunch of flax on a distaff, and English dizen . See ...
   Found on http://www.encyclo.co.uk/webster/D/96
   
   
5. distaff
   Origin: 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. 'I will the distaff hold; come thou and spin.' (Fairfax) ... 2. Used as ...
   Found on http://www.mondofacto.com/facts/dictiona
   
   
6. distaff
   noun the staff on which wool or flax is wound before spinning
   Found on http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/web
   
   
7. distaff
   noun the sphere of work by women
   Found on http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/web
   
   
8. distaff
   adjective characteristic of or peculiar to a woman; `female sensitiveness`; `female suffrage`
   Found on http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/web
   
   
9. Distaff
   • (n.) The staff for holding a bunch of flax, tow, or wool, from which the thread is drawn in spinning by hand. • (n.) Used as a symbol of the holder of a distaff; hence, a woman; women, collectively.
   Found on http://thinkexist.com/dictionary/meaning
   
   
10. distaff
    (from the article `work, history of the organization of`) ...reduced the supply of available skins and required a substitute material for clothing. To make textiles, yarn had to be spun; the earliest ... ...stick, or spindle. The first stage in mechanizing the process was to mount the spindle horizontally in bearings so that it could be...
    Found on http://www.britannica.com/eb/a-z/d/57
    
    
11. distaff
    
    • the sphere of work by women
    • the staff on which wool or flax is wound before spinning
    
    Found on
    
    
12. distaff
    distaff: see spinning.
    Found on http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/society/A0
    
    
13. Distaff
    A distaff was the first instrument employed in spinning. It consisted of a staff, on one end of which the wool or flax was rolled. The spinner held it in the left hand, and drew out the fibres with the right, at the same time twisting them. A small piece of wood called a spindle was attached to the ...
    Found on http://www.probertencyclopaedia.com/brow
    
    
14. Distaff
    A race for female horses. This may be for young fillies or for older mares.
    Found on http://www.horseracing.com/glossary/