spinster
spinster is defined in Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1913) with 3 senses, and appears in Roget's Thesaurus (1911) with 32 related terms. The full text of each entry is reproduced verbatim below.
Definitions
- 1.A man who spins. [Obs.] Shak.
- 2.(Law) An unmarried or single woman; -- used in legal proceedings as a title, or addition to the surname. If a gentlewoman be termed a spinster, she may abate the writ. Coke.
- 3.A woman of evil life and character; -- so called from being forced to spin in a house of correction. [Obs.]
Source: Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
Synonyms
Related terms (Roget's 1911)
- agamist
- alone
- bachelor
- bachelorhood
- bachelorship
- blessedness
- celibacy
- feme
- girl
- live
- maid
- maiden
- maidenhead
- maidenhood
- man
- misogamist
- misogamy
- misogynist
- misogyny
- monk
- monogamist
- nun
- old
- pucelage
- single
- singleness
- sole
- spouseless
- virgin
- virginity
- wifeless
- woman
Source: Roget's Thesaurus, 1911 edition (public domain, via Project Gutenberg eBook #10681).
Related questions
Reverse-dictionary questions
Definition-first questions whose answer is spinster.
- What is an unmarried or single woman; -- used in legal proceedings as a title, or addition to the surname. If a gentlewoman be termed a spinster, she may abate the writ. Coke called?
- What is a woman of evil life and character; -- so called from being forced to spin in a house of correction. [Obs.] called?
Sources
- Definitions: Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
- Synonyms: Roget's Thesaurus, 1911 edition (public domain, via Project Gutenberg eBook #10681).
- Canonical URL: https://worddirectanswers.com/word/spinster
- Steward: Jason Burns