1. Plural of distaff; the staff or rod on a spinning wheel that holds the unspun fibers of wool, flax, or other material.
Usage: historical; textile/craft context
2. Plural of distaff; women or the female side of a family (archaic or literary usage).
Usage: archaic; figurative

Examples

• The museum displayed several antique distaves used by colonial spinners.
• Medieval women worked the distaves while preparing wool for weaving.
• The distaves in the textile collection showed signs of centuries of use.
• She inherited property through the distaff side, though the distaves themselves were long gone.
• Spinning wheels with their distaves were essential household tools in earlier centuries.