distaff

1 of 2

adjective

dis·​taff ˈdi-ˌstaf 

1

: female sense 1a(1)

distaff executives

2

: maternal sense 2

the distaff side of the family

compare spear

distaff

2 of 2

noun

plural distaffs ˈdi-ˌstafs 

-ˌstavz

1

a

: a staff for holding the flax, tow, or wool in spinning

b

: woman's work or domain

2

: the female branch or side of a family

Illustration of distaff

• D distaff 1a
• S spindle

Did you know?

The word distaff was first used for a short staff that held a bundle of fibers—of flax or wool, for example—ready to be spun into yarn or thread. Since spinning was a basic daily task customarily done by women, the distaff came to be the symbol for the work or domain of women. This symbolic use of the noun distaff dates back to the time of Chaucer and is found in several works by Shakespeare. Eventually distaff came to be used for the female branch of a family and then as an adjective, as in "the distaff side of the family."

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

An Elm Drive victory would give trainer Phil D’Amato a very successful weekend on the distaff side of the ledger. —Bill Center, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Sep. 2021

The personal rivalries on the distaff side became apparent during the transition: When the Bushes won, Nancy did not invite Barbara to tour the living quarters until January 11 — much later than was traditional. —NBC News, 21 Apr. 2018

Even if a separate, distaff canon is built, the atmosphere against which it’s being constructed is, gradually, becoming more integrated. —Wesley Morris, New York Times, 5 Oct. 2017

And behind the camera, Scherfig has created something of a distaff utopia: both the book and the screenplay were written by women. —Richard Lawson, VanityFair.com, 6 Apr. 2017

Noun

This is a phenomenal distaff triple bill of country music. —Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 22 Feb. 2023

Other objects discarded along the way include a knife and its wooden handle; a birchbark container; a wooden needle; tinderbox; a wooden whisk; and a distaff, a tool that was used to hold wool as it was spun by hand. —Ashley Strickland, CNN, 15 Apr. 2020

Twenty-four percent of distaff protagonists starred in dramas, while 21 percent were in comedies, 16 percent were in action features, 8 percent starred in science-fiction films and 5 percent led animated features. —Katherine Schaffstall, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Jan. 2020

With the victory, Uni might have wrested the distaff turf championship from Sistercharlie, who earlier ran third in the Filly & Mare Turf. —BostonGlobe.com, 1 Aug. 2019

Ivins was something like a cross between Kristofferson and Joplin: part good old boy (distaff division); part full-throated, tangle-haired star. —BostonGlobe.com, 12 Sep. 2019

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Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English distaf, from Old English distæf, from dis- (akin to Middle Low German dise bunch of flax) + stæf staff

First Known Use

Adjective

circa 1633, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

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Kids Definition

distaff

1 of 2 noun

dis·​taff ˈdis-ˌtaf 

plural distaffs -ˌtafs 

-ˌtavz

1

: a staff for holding the flax or wool in spinning

2

: the female branch or side of a family

distaff

2 of 2 adjective

: of, relating to, or being a woman

the distaff side of the family

distaff skiers

Etymology

Noun

from earlier distaff (noun) "a staff for holding flax or wool for spinning," from Old English distæf (same meaning), from dis- "bunch of flax" and stæf "staff"

Word Origin

Before the invention of the spinning wheel, the spinning of yarn or thread was traditionally done by women using a spindle and a distaff. A spindle was a long spool to hold and spin the yarn. A distaff was a short rod with an opening or branches at the top for holding the flax or wool. The word distæf in Old English meant literally "flax staff," from dis- "a bunch of flax" and stæf "staff." Because women usually did the spinning, the distaff came to be a symbol for women's work. The word distaff in time took on the meaning "women's work" and later "woman." The noun distaff is rarely used in this way today, but the female members of a family are still referred to as the distaff side.