distaff
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.
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