Modern English usage. 2014.
Spinster — Spin ster, n. [Spin + ster.] 1. A woman who spins, or whose occupation is to spin. [1913 Webster] She spake to spinster to spin it out. Piers Plowman. [1913 Webster] The spinsters and the knitters in the sun. Shak. [1913 Webster] 2. A man who… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
spinster — mid 14c., female spinner of thread, from M.E. spinnen (see SPIN (Cf. spin)) + stere, feminine suffix. Spinning commonly done by unmarried women, hence the word came to denote an unmarried woman in legal documents from 1600s to early 1900s, and by … Etymology dictionary
Spinster — (engl., »Spinnerin«), lediges Frauenzimmer, »alte Jungfer« … Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon
spinster — ► NOUN chiefly derogatory ▪ an unmarried woman, typically an older woman beyond the usual age for marriage. DERIVATIVES spinsterhood noun spinsterish adjective. ORIGIN originally in the sense «woman who spins» … English terms dictionary
spinster — [spin′stər] n. [ME < spinnen, to SPIN + STER] 1. a woman who spins thread or yarn 2. a) a woman who is not married, divorced, or widowed (used esp. in legal documents) b) a middle aged or older woman who has never married spinsterhood n … English World dictionary
Spinster — Old maid redirects here. For other uses, see Old Maid (disambiguation). A poem entitled It won t be my fault if I die an Old Maid , containing the lines Remember no thought to a girl is so dread / As the terrible one I may die an Old Maid. A… … Wikipedia
spinster — UK [ˈspɪnstə(r)] / US [ˈspɪnstər] noun [countable] Word forms spinster : singular spinster plural spinsters old fashioned an insulting word for a woman who is not married and is past the age when women usually get married … English dictionary
spinster — noun Spinster is used before these nouns: ↑aunt … Collocations dictionary
spinster — spin|ster [ˈspınstə US ər] n old fashioned [Date: 1600 1700; Origin: spinster woman who spins (14 20 centuries), from spin] an unmarried woman, usually one who is no longer young and seems unlikely to marry … Dictionary of contemporary English
spinster — [[t]spɪ̱nstə(r)[/t]] spinsters N COUNT A spinster is a woman who has never been married, especially an old or middle aged woman. [OLD FASHIONED] … English dictionary
