Fact about the word spinster Our word 'spinster,' meaning an unmarried woman, is rapidly becoming
archaic and is likely to drop out of speech during the twenty-first
century.
The term hasn't always had the application now attached to it. The
original use applied to the occupation of spinning, which was
traditionally a woman's job. In the ninth century King Alfred spoke of
his descendants as those on the spear side and the spindle side - that
is, male and female. 'Spinster' was widely used as a title of respect
for both single and married women until the time of Queen Elizabeth.
Since homemakers with families had to take on other responsibilities,
spinning became more and more the occupation of unmarried women. By the
seventeenth century practically all professional spinsters were
unmarried. So, in the course of time, it came to be natural that women
not likely to marry should be called spinsters.
(,
Tue 4 Mar 2003, 22:32,
archived)
archaic and is likely to drop out of speech during the twenty-first
century.
The term hasn't always had the application now attached to it. The
original use applied to the occupation of spinning, which was
traditionally a woman's job. In the ninth century King Alfred spoke of
his descendants as those on the spear side and the spindle side - that
is, male and female. 'Spinster' was widely used as a title of respect
for both single and married women until the time of Queen Elizabeth.
Since homemakers with families had to take on other responsibilities,
spinning became more and more the occupation of unmarried women. By the
seventeenth century practically all professional spinsters were
unmarried. So, in the course of time, it came to be natural that women
not likely to marry should be called spinsters.
you mean you don'tt work as a spinster?...maybe you should ask to be called a batchelorette or singleton...or maybe even independant woman
throw your hands up at me
(,
Tue 4 Mar 2003, 22:37,
archived)
throw your hands up at me
I ust thought 'maiden'would have sounded nicer.
Or even 'making mistake for the first time'.
(Or even 'making mistake for the first time'.
Batsgirl,
Tue 4 Mar 2003, 22:40,
archived)