Webster's Dictionary 1828
This online edition has been carefully prepared in a proprietary format. All of the words, definitions and examples have been preserved, but the explanations of word origins have been omitted to make using the data in a digital format more accessible. We have omitted Webster's lengthy technical introduction for the same reason.
Scripture references have been standardized in a modern format, and many abbreviations have been expanded for ease in understanding.
Distaff
DISTAFF, noun
1. The staff of a spinning-wheel, to which a bunch of flax or tow is tied, and from which the thread is drawn.
She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff Proverbs 31:19.
2. Figuratively, a woman, or the female sex.
His crown usurped, a distaff on the throne.