distaff, Device used in hand spinning in which individual fibres are drawn out of a mass of prepared fibres held on a stick (the distaff), twisted together to form a continuous strand, and wound on a second stick (the spindle). It is most often used for making linen; wool does not require a distaff (see carding).
What is the purpose of the distaff?
A distaff (/ˈdɪstɑːf/, /ˈdɪstæf/, also called a rock) is a tool used in spinning. It is designed to hold the unspun fibers, keeping them untangled and thus easing the spinning process. It is most commonly used to hold flax, and sometimes wool, but can be used for any type of fibre.
What is the difference between a spindle and a distaff?
The basic tools used to spin the fibers were the spindle and the distaff. A distaff is designed to hold the unspun fibers, meanwhile a spindle is a straight spike, usually made from wood, onto which the fiber is being spun. The most commonly used fibers in Europe were wool and flax.
What is the distaff side mean?
noun. the female side of a family (opposed to spear side).
What is the purpose of the distaff?
A distaff (/ˈdɪstɑːf/, /ˈdɪstæf/, also called a rock) is a tool used in spinning. It is designed to hold the unspun fibers, keeping them untangled and thus easing the spinning process. It is most commonly used to hold flax, and sometimes wool, but can be used for any type of fibre.
Why is it called the distaff?
The word distaff was first used for a short staff that held a bundle of fibers—of flax or wool, for example—ready to be spun into yarn or thread. Since spinning was a basic daily task customarily done by women, the distaff came to be the symbol for the work or domain of women.
What is the male equivalent of distaff?
Apparently, the masculine equivalent of the distaff side is the spear side!
What is a distaff made of?
Distaff, made of carved wood, the head carved from a separate pieceof wood attached at the front with openwork decoration in the form of two sheep or goats back to back.
What is a distaff cousin?
As a noun, distaff most often refers to the female part or branch of a family. As an adjective, it describes those related through a mother—for example, your mother’s side of the family. They inherit Plantagenet blood by direct descent, and Tudor on the distaff side.
What’s the opposite of distaff side?
the male side, or line of descent, of a family (opposed to distaff side or spindle side).
What is the antonym of distaff side?
The antonym of distaff is agnate.
What did Atticus mean by the distaff side of the executive branch?
Answer and Explanation: When Atticus says ”the distaff side of the Executive Branch,” he is referring to the women in the country.
What does distaff mean horse racing?
The Distaff Handicap is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares that are four years old or older at a distance of seven furlongs on the dirt run annually in early April at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, Queens, New York.
What is the antonym of distaff side?
The antonym of distaff is agnate.
What is the purpose of the distaff?
A distaff (/ˈdɪstɑːf/, /ˈdɪstæf/, also called a rock) is a tool used in spinning. It is designed to hold the unspun fibers, keeping them untangled and thus easing the spinning process. It is most commonly used to hold flax, and sometimes wool, but can be used for any type of fibre.
What is a distaff in horse racing?
The Distaff Handicap is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares that are four years old or older at a distance of seven furlongs on the dirt run annually in early April at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, Queens, New York.
What part of speech is distaff?
usage note for distaff In the sense of “female,” the noun distaff is archaic, but the adjective is in current use: distaff chores, a distaff point of view; the distaff side of the family.
Why is the male side called the spear side?
The OED says the expression “spear side” comes from the Old English spere-healfe (in Anglo-Saxon times healfe could mean side). A citation from around 885 in King Alfred’s will refers to leaving land on the sperehealfe or spinhealfe — that is, the “spear side” or “spindle side.”
What did Atticus mean by the distaff side of the executive branch?
Answer and Explanation: When Atticus says ”the distaff side of the Executive Branch,” he is referring to the women in the country.
What does the word Agnate mean?
(Entry 1 of 2) 1 : a relative whose kinship is traceable exclusively through males. 2 : a paternal kinsman.
What is a spindle used for?
a rounded rod, usually of wood, tapering toward each end, used in hand-spinning to twist into thread the fibers drawn from the mass on the distaff, and on which the thread is wound as it is spun. the rod on a spinning wheel by which the thread is twisted and on which it is wound.
How does a spinning wheel work?
On single drive wheels the bobbin has a separate brake to control its speed. The fiber is twisted as the flyer rotates and the spinner holds the yarn. One revolution of the flyer puts one twist into the yarn. The longer the yarn is held before letting it wind onto the bobbin, the more twist it will receive.
