distaffs
Fiber-holding rods
Distaffs is the plural of distaff, a staff used in hand spinning to hold unspun fibers.
Because spinning was traditionally women's work, distaff came to symbolize the female side of a family—the distaff side—as opposed to the male or "spear side." The word is now mainly literary or historical.
Rotating rod for thread
- spinningRevolving around an axis
- woolSheared animal fiber
- flaxFiber and oil crop
- fiberPlant-based digestive aid
yarn · whorl · roving · handspinning · textile · thread · linen · hemp
Female adults collectively
- maternalOf or like mothers
- female lineageAncestry traced through mothers
- ancestryFamily line of descent
- matrilinealDescended through maternal line
mother's side · kinship · inheritance · genealogy · descent · bloodline · family tree · womanhood
Hereditary symbolic emblem
- escutcheonShield bearing heraldry
- sinisterThreateningly suggestive of harm
- dexterHeraldic right side
- impalementPiercing through with stake
marshalling · blazon · heiress · armorial · shield · lozenge · achievement · quartering
spindle
Rotating rod for thread
fiber · yarn · whorl · roving · handspinning · textile · thread · linen · hemp · tow
women
Female adults collectively
- maternalOf or like mothers
- female lineageAncestry traced through mothers
- ancestryFamily line of descent
mother's side · matrilineal · kinship · inheritance · genealogy · descent · bloodline · family tree · womanhood · heritage
coat of arms
Hereditary symbolic emblem
- escutcheonShield bearing heraldry
- sinisterThreateningly suggestive of harm
- dexterHeraldic right side
impalement · marshalling · blazon · heiress · armorial · shield · lozenge · achievement · quartering · charges
distaffsspears
Pointed pole weapons
male line · paternal line · swords · patrilineal · men