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.
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI