spinster
English · Thesaurus
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spinster
- /ˈspɪnstə/ UK
- /ˈspɪnstɚ/ US
Rhymes with -ɪnstə(ɹ)
Where it comes from
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.
noun spinsters
-
A woman who has never been married, especially one past the typical marrying age according to social traditions.
If […] a woman be named spinster, she may abate […]the same [writ].
Similar: old maid
- 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. The spinsters and the knitters in the sun.
- 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.
Translations
Every language
noun unmarried woman
| Español | solterona, quedada |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 올드 미스 oldeu miseu, 노처녀 nocheonyeo |
| 日本語 | オールドミス ōrudo misu, 売れ残り urenokori, ハイミス haimisu |
| 中文 | 老處女 /老处女 lǎochǔnǚ, 剩女 shèngnǚ |
| हिन्दी | बूढ़ी कुँवारी būṛhī kũvārī |
| Português | solteira, solteirona, encalhada |
| Français | vieille fille |
| Deutsch | alte Jungfer, Junggesellin, unverheiratete Frau, älteres Fräulein |
| Italiano | zitella |
| Ελληνικά | γεροντοκόρη gerontokóri |
| Română | fată bătrână |
| Русский | ста́рая де́ва stáraja déva, векову́ха vekovúxa |
| Tiếng Việt | bà cô già, gái già |
| العربية | عَانِس ʕānis |
| עברית | רַוָּקָה זְקֵנָה ravaká z'kená, בְּתוּלָה זְקֵנָה betulá z'kená |
noun obsolete: occupation
| Português | fiadeiro, fiadeira |
|---|---|
| Français | fileur, fileuse |
| Deutsch | Spinner, Spinnerin |
| Русский | сучильщица sučilʹščica, прядильщица prjadilʹščica |
Talk about this word "spinster." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/spinster. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. spinster. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/spinster "spinster." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/spinster.Cite this
@misc{spinster_2026,
title = {spinster},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/spinster},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
