spinster
Meanings
Plural: spinsters
Noun
- an elderly unmarried woman
- someone who spins (who twists fibers into threads)
- A woman who has never been married, especially one past the typical marrying age according to social traditions.
- One who spins (puts a spin on) a political media story so as to give something a favorable or advantageous appearance; a spin doctor, spin merchant or spinmeister.
- Someone whose occupation was spinning thread.
- A woman of evil life and character; so called from being forced to spin in a house of correction.
- A spider; an insect (such as a silkworm) which spins thread.
Origin / Etymology
From Middle English spynnestere (“woman who spins fibre”), from c. 1350; equivalent to spin + -ster. The semantic development is from a historical notion of unmarried women spinning thread for a living.
Synonyms
old maid, spinner, thread maker
Scrabble Score: 10
spinster is a valid Scrabble (US) TWL wordspinster is a valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
spinster is a valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary
Words With Friends Score: 12
spinster is a valid Words With Friends word