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Webster 1913 Edition
Distaff
Dis′taff
,Noun.
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.
I will the
distaff
hold; come thou and spin. Fairfax.
2.
Used as a symbol of the holder of a distaff; hence, a woman; women, collectively.
His crown usurped, a
distaff
on the throne. Dryden.
Some say the crozier, some say the
distaff
was too busy. Howell.
☞ The plural is regular, but Distaves occurs in Beaumont & Fletcher.
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.
Webster 1828 Edition
Distaff
DISTAFF
,Noun.
1.
The staff of a spinning-wheel, to which a bunch of flax or tow is tied, and from which the thread is drawn.She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff. Proverbs 31.
2.
Figuratively, a woman, or the female sex.His crown usurped, a distaff on the throne.