Distaff

It is designed to hold the unspun fibers, keeping them untangled and thus easing the spinning process.

The word comes from Low German dis, meaning a bunch of flax, connected with staff.

By contrast, the traditional Russian distaff, used both with spinning wheels and with spindles, is L-shaped and consists of a horizontal board, known as the dontse (Russian: донце), and a flat vertical piece, frequently oar-shaped, to the inner side of which the bundle of fibers was tied or pinned.

The distaff was often richly carved and painted and was an important element of Russian folk art.

A wrist distaff generally consists of a loop with a tail, at the end of which is a tassel, often with beads on each strand.

The term distaff is also used as an adjective to describe the matrilineal branch of a family,[4] i.e., to the person's mother and her blood relatives.

This term developed in the English-speaking communities where a distaff spinning tool was used often to symbolize domestic life.