distaff

Từ điển Oxford Advanced Learner 8th

dis·taff [distaff distaffs] BrE [ˈdɪstɑːf] NAmE [ˈdɪstæf] noun
a stick that was used in the past for holding wool when it was spun by hand
Idiom: ↑on the distaff side

Word Origin:
Old English distæf: the first element is apparently related to Middle Low German dise, disene ‘distaff, bunch of flax’; the second is ↑staff. The sense ‘concerning women’ arose because spinning was traditionally done by women.