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What (who) is quenouille - definition
STICK OR STAFF FOR HOLDING FIBRE TO BE SPUN
Distaffs; Distaff side; Quenouille
![wheel]] and distaff](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Adolphe Braun Alsace costume.jpg?width=200 "wheel]] and distaff")
.png?width=200 "A distaff and a spindle")
![Russian distaffs displayed at the museum of folk handicrafts at [[Ferapontov Monastery]]](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Russian distaffs 01 (Ferapontov).jpg?width=200 "Russian distaffs displayed at the museum of folk handicrafts at [[Ferapontov Monastery]]")
![''The Spinner'', by [[Wilhelm Leibl]] (1892), features spinning [[flax]] from a distaff.](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Wilhelm Maria Hubertus Leibl 010.jpg?width=200 "''The Spinner'', by [[Wilhelm Leibl]] (1892), features spinning [[flax]] from a distaff.")
![spindle]] and distaff](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/William-adolphe bouguereau the spinner.jpg?width=200 "spindle]] and distaff")
Distaff
·noun Used as a symbol of the holder of a distaff; hence, a woman; women, collectively.
II. Distaff ·noun The staff for holding a bunch of flax, tow, or wool, from which the thread is drawn in spinning by hand.
Distaffs
·pl of Distaff.
distaff
['d?st?:f]
¦ noun
1. a stick or spindle on to which wool or flax is wound for spinning.
2. [as modifier] denoting or concerning women: a family tree on the distaff side. Compare with spear (in sense 3).
Origin
OE dist?f: the first element is appar. related to Mid. Low Ger. dise, disene 'distaff, bunch of flax'; the second is staff1.
Wikipedia
Distaff
A distaff (, , 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. Fiber is wrapped around the distaff and tied in place with a piece of ribbon or string. The word comes from Low German dis, meaning a bunch of flax, connected with staff.
As an adjective, the term distaff is used to describe the female side of a family. The corresponding term for the male side of a family is the "spear" side.
