dis·taff
Look at other dictionaries:
dis|taff — «DIHS taf, tahf», noun, adjective. –n. 1. a stick, split at the tip, to hold wool or flax for spinning by hand. 2. the staff on a spinning wheel for holding wool or flax. 3. woman s work or affairs. 4. the female sex; woman or women. 5. the… … Useful english dictionary
taff — dis·taff·er; taff·rail; dis·taff; … English syllables
dis — dis·accord; dis·advantage; dis·affect; dis·aggregate; dis·ap·pear; dis·array; dis·bar; dis·burse; dis·card; dis·charge; dis·ci·ple; dis·ci·pli·nar·i·an; dis·ci·pline; dis·claim; dis·close; dis·co; dis·co·glos·sid; dis·coid; dis·coi·dal;… … English syllables
distaff — dis·taff … English syllables
distaffer — dis·taff·er … English syllables
distaff — dis•taff [[t]ˈdɪs tæf, tɑf[/t]] n. 1) tex a long staff for holding wool, flax, etc., from which the thread is drawn in spinning by hand 2) sex archaic a) women collectively b) women s work or concerns 3) distaff side 4) sex of or pertaining to… … From formal English to slang
distaff — dis|taff [ˈdısta:f US stæf] n a stick, used in the past for spinning wool … Dictionary of contemporary English
distaff — dis|taff [ dı,stæf ] noun count a small stick used in the past for winding wool around when SPINNING on the distaff side OLD FASHIONED on the woman s side of a family … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
distaff side — dis′taff side n. sex the female side of a family • Etymology: 1885–90 … From formal English to slang
Descent by distaff — 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 … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
