Distaff (noun)
dis-taf
A stick or spindle on to which wool or flax is wound for spinning. / (as modifier) Of or concerning women.
Old English distæf the first element is apparently related to Middle Low German dise, disene ‘distaff, bunch of flax’; the second is staff. distaff (sense 2 of the noun) arose because spinning was traditionally done by women.
Example sentences
“She came with three distaffs in her hand, ready for work.”
“Marriage is still the passport to distaff power”
Wonky (adj) won-kee Not straight or balanced, off kilter. First recorded in 1915–20; perhaps variant of dialectal wanky, equivalent to wank(le) ( Middle English wankel, Old English wancol. (more…)
