adj · noun · 10 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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Received-Pronunciation:/ˈdɪstɑːf/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
General-American:/ˈdɪstæf/
1
adj
Meaning 1
Of, relating to, or characteristic of women.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: not-comparable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: female, maternal
Antonyms: male, paternal, spear
2
adj
Meaning 2
Of the maternal side of a family.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: not-comparable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
A device to which a bundle of natural fibres (often wool, flax, or cotton) is attached for temporary storage, before being drawn off gradually to spin thread. A traditional distaff is a staff with flax fibres tied loosely to it (as indicated by the etymology of the word), but modern distaffs are often made of cords weighted with beads, and attached to the wrist.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
The part of a spinning wheel from which fibre is drawn to be spun.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
5
noun
Meaning 5
Anything traditionally done by or considered of importance to women only.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
6
noun
Meaning 6
A race for female horses only.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
7
noun
Meaning 7
A woman, or women considered as a group.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: also, collective
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
8
adjective satellite
Meaning 8
characteristic of or peculiar to a woman
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
female sensitiveness
female suffrage
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: female
Antonyms: none provided
9
noun
Meaning 9
the staff on which wool or flax is wound before spinning
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: staff
10
noun
Meaning 10
the sphere of work by women
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
From Middle English distaf (“distaff”), from Old English distæf (“distaff”), from *dis- (“bunch of flax”) (cognate with Middle Low German dise (“bunch of flax on a distaff”)) + stæf (“staff”) (from Proto-Germanic *stabaz (“staff, stick”), from Proto-Indo-European *stebh-). Senses 3 and 5 (“anything traditionally done by or considered of importance to women only”; “a woman, or women considered as a group”) refer to the fact that spinning was traditionally done by women.
Across languages
Translations
118 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Bulgarian:
женски
(ženski)
— of, relating to, or characteristic of women
Icelandic:
kven-
— of, relating to, or characteristic of women
Italian:
femminile
— of, relating to, or characteristic of women
Italian:
donnesco
— of, relating to, or characteristic of women
Russian:
же́нский
(žénskij)
— of, relating to, or characteristic of women
Swedish:
kvinnlig
— of, relating to, or characteristic of women
Arabic:
عَرْنَاس
(ʕarnās)
— device to which fibres are attached for temporary storage
Arabic:
رُكَّة
(rukka)
— device to which fibres are attached for temporary storage
Aramaic:
עַרְנָסָא
— device to which fibres are attached for temporary storage
Aramaic:
ארנס
(ʾarnās)
— device to which fibres are attached for temporary storage
Aramaic:
ܥܱܪܢܳܣܴܐ
(ʿarnāsā)
— device to which fibres are attached for temporary storage
Bashkir:
ҡолға
(qolğa)
— device to which fibres are attached for temporary storage
Belarusian:
прасніца
(prasnica)
— device to which fibres are attached for temporary storage
Breton:
kegel
— device to which fibres are attached for temporary storage
Bulgarian:
ху́рка
(húrka)
— device to which fibres are attached for temporary storage
Catalan:
filosa
— device to which fibres are attached for temporary storage
Czech:
přeslice
— device to which fibres are attached for temporary storage
Danish:
rok
— device to which fibres are attached for temporary storage
Danish:
spinderok
— device to which fibres are attached for temporary storage
Dutch:
rokken
— device to which fibres are attached for temporary storage
Dutch:
spinrokken
— device to which fibres are attached for temporary storage
Dutch:
spinstok
— device to which fibres are attached for temporary storage
Faroese:
rokkur
— device to which fibres are attached for temporary storage
Finnish:
kehräpuu
— device to which fibres are attached for temporary storage
French:
quenouille
— device to which fibres are attached for temporary storage
Galician:
roca
— device to which fibres are attached for temporary storage
German:
Rocken
— device to which fibres are attached for temporary storage
German:
Spinnrocken
— device to which fibres are attached for temporary storage
German:
Kunkel
— device to which fibres are attached for temporary storage
German:
Wocken
— device to which fibres are attached for temporary storage
Greek:
ρόκα
(róka)
— device to which fibres are attached for temporary storage
Greek:
ηλακάτη
(ilakáti)
— device to which fibres are attached for temporary storage
Ancient Greek:
ἠλακάτη
(ēlakátē)
— device to which fibres are attached for temporary storage
Hebrew:
כִּישׁוֹר
(kishór)
— device to which fibres are attached for temporary storage
Hungarian:
guzsaly
— device to which fibres are attached for temporary storage
Irish:
coigeal
— device to which fibres are attached for temporary storage
Italian:
conocchia
— device to which fibres are attached for temporary storage
Italian:
rocca
— device to which fibres are attached for temporary storage
Kabyle:
taruka
— device to which fibres are attached for temporary storage
Latin:
colus
— device to which fibres are attached for temporary storage
Old Norse:
rokkr
— device to which fibres are attached for temporary storage
Persian:
دشکی
(deški)
— device to which fibres are attached for temporary storage
Polish:
przęślica
— device to which fibres are attached for temporary storage
Portuguese:
roca
— device to which fibres are attached for temporary storage
Punjabi:
ਤੱਕਲ਼ੀ
(takkaḷī)
— device to which fibres are attached for temporary storage
Romanian:
furcă
— device to which fibres are attached for temporary storage
Romansh:
rocca
— device to which fibres are attached for temporary storage
Russian:
пря́слица
(prjáslica)
— device to which fibres are attached for temporary storage
Russian:
пря́слице
(prjáslice)
— device to which fibres are attached for temporary storage
Scottish Gaelic:
maide-snìomh
— device to which fibres are attached for temporary storage
Serbo-Croatian:
пре̏слица
— device to which fibres are attached for temporary storage
Serbo-Croatian:
prȅslica
— device to which fibres are attached for temporary storage
Sicilian:
cunòcchia
— device to which fibres are attached for temporary storage
Slovene:
preslica
— device to which fibres are attached for temporary storage
Spanish:
rueca
— device to which fibres are attached for temporary storage
Swedish:
rockträ
— device to which fibres are attached for temporary storage
Swedish:
rockhuvud
— device to which fibres are attached for temporary storage
Swedish:
linstav
— device to which fibres are attached for temporary storage
Swedish:
tottaträ
— device to which fibres are attached for temporary storage
Turkish:
öreke
— device to which fibres are attached for temporary storage
Ottoman Turkish:
اوركه
(öreke)
— device to which fibres are attached for temporary storage
Ukrainian:
пря́сельце
(prjáselʹce)
— device to which fibres are attached for temporary storage
Ukrainian:
пря́слице
(prjáslyce)
— device to which fibres are attached for temporary storage
Ukrainian:
пря́сло
(prjáslo)
— device to which fibres are attached for temporary storage
Ukrainian:
пря́сниця
(prjásnycja)
— device to which fibres are attached for temporary storage
Volapük:
spulömastaf
— device to which fibres are attached for temporary storage
Walloon:
kinoye
— device to which fibres are attached for temporary storage
Welsh:
cogail
— device to which fibres are attached for temporary storage
Bulgarian:
ху́рка
(húrka)
— part of a spinning wheel
Chinese Mandarin:
卷线杆
— part of a spinning wheel
Czech:
přeslice
— part of a spinning wheel
Danish:
ten
— part of a spinning wheel
Dutch:
rokken
— part of a spinning wheel
Dutch:
spinrokken
— part of a spinning wheel
Dutch:
spinstok
— part of a spinning wheel
Finnish:
kuontalonpidin
— part of a spinning wheel
Finnish:
rukinlapa
— part of a spinning wheel
Finnish:
tortti
— part of a spinning wheel
French:
quenouille
— part of a spinning wheel
Galician:
roca
— part of a spinning wheel
German:
Rocken
— part of a spinning wheel
German:
Spinnrocken
— part of a spinning wheel
German:
Kunkel
— part of a spinning wheel
German:
Wocken
— part of a spinning wheel
Greek:
ρόκα
(róka)
— part of a spinning wheel
Ancient Greek:
ἠλακάτη
(ēlakátē)
— part of a spinning wheel
Hebrew:
כִּישׁוֹר
(kishór)
— part of a spinning wheel
Italian:
rocchetto
— part of a spinning wheel
Italian:
conocchia
— part of a spinning wheel
Japanese:
糸巻き棒
(itomakibou)
— part of a spinning wheel
Navajo:
beeʼadizí
— part of a spinning wheel
Persian:
دشکی
(deški)
— part of a spinning wheel
Polish:
przęślica
— part of a spinning wheel
Portuguese:
roca
— part of a spinning wheel
Russian:
пря́слица
(prjáslica)
— part of a spinning wheel
Russian:
пря́слице
(prjáslice)
— part of a spinning wheel
Scottish Gaelic:
maide-snìomh
— part of a spinning wheel
Serbo-Croatian:
пре̏слица
— part of a spinning wheel
Serbo-Croatian:
prȅslica
— part of a spinning wheel
Sicilian:
spagnuletta
— part of a spinning wheel
Sicilian:
ruccheḍḍu
— part of a spinning wheel
Slovene:
preslica
— part of a spinning wheel
Spanish:
rueca
— part of a spinning wheel
Swedish:
slända
— part of a spinning wheel
Swedish:
spinnrockshuvud
— part of a spinning wheel
Ukrainian:
пря́сельце
(prjáselʹce)
— part of a spinning wheel
Ukrainian:
пря́слице
(prjáslyce)
— part of a spinning wheel
Ukrainian:
пря́сло
(prjáslo)
— part of a spinning wheel
Ukrainian:
пря́сниця
(prjásnycja)
— part of a spinning wheel
Volapük:
spulömastaf
— part of a spinning wheel
Bulgarian:
женска работа
(ženska rabota)
— anything traditionally done by or considered of importance to women only
Hebrew:
פֶּלֶךְ
(pélech)
— anything traditionally done by or considered of importance to women only
Japanese:
女性の仕事
(josei no shigoto)
— anything traditionally done by or considered of importance to women only
Polish:
kobieca robota
— anything traditionally done by or considered of importance to women only
Polish:
kobieca praca
— anything traditionally done by or considered of importance to women only
Serbo-Croatian:
ženska posla
— anything traditionally done by or considered of importance to women only
Swedish:
kvinnogöra
— anything traditionally done by or considered of importance to women only
Hebrew:
פֶּלֶךְ
(pélech)
— women considered as a group
