---
title: distaff — Judaism dictionary · trees and pragmatics
description: «distaff» in the Judaism dictionary: A stick or stand that holds wool or flax while it is spun into thread by hand. Every meaning for a pupil with its dependency tree and pragmatics.
---

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# distaff

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**Who acts:** stick, hand, She, hands, old wife · **What happens:** hold, spin, lay, sit, work · **To what, where:** wool, stick, thread, hands, spindle, distaff

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«distaff» in the Judaism dictionary: its meaning for a pupil and its 3 examples, every sentence parsed by Mova itself — its syntax tree, a dependency tree in the style of Universal Dependencies, and its pragmatics clause by clause. The word in the dictionary, with its sense in the lessons: [distaff in the Judaism dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/judaism/w/distaff.md).

## Meaning 1 {#m1}

<!-- .note -->
Usage: old use — kept apart, not parsed.

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A stick or stand that holds wool or flax while it is spun into thread by hand.

<!-- fold The tree, 17 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:judaism:distaff:m1:1
# text = A stick or stand that holds wool or flax while it is spun into thread by hand.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	stick	stick	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	13	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	4	cc	_	_
4	stand	stand	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	conj	_	_
5	that	that	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	6	nsubj	_	_
6	holds	hold	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	2	acl:relcl	_	_
7	wool	wool	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obj	_	_
8	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	9	cc	_	_
9	flax	flax	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	conj	_	_
10	while	while	SCONJ	IN	_	11	mark	_	_
11	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	6	advcl	_	_
12	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	13	aux:pass	_	_
13	spun	spin	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
14	into	into	ADP	IN	_	15	case	_	_
15	thread	thread	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	13	obl	_	_
16	by	by	ADP	IN	_	17	case	_	_
17	hand	hand	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	13	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
18	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	13	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **hold** | present | a stick or stand | wool or flax |  |  |  |  | vn keep-15.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent wool=Theme |
| 2 | **spin** | present · passive | hand | a stick or stand |  | thread |  |  | vn roll-51.3.1 «NP V NP PP.trajectory»: agent=Agent subject=Theme into thread=Trajectory |

<!-- .note -->
One row per clause the reader finds. «not said here»: a role filled from the clause above. «roles by»: a VerbNet class and frame when one fits the verb, else the reader's rules on the tree.

## Example 1 {#x1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
She layeth her hands to the distaff, and her hands hold the spindle. (Writings PRO.31.19, JPS 1917)

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* She layeth her hands to the distaff, and her hands hold the spindle.

<!-- fold The tree, 13 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:judaism:distaff:x1:1
# text = She layeth her hands to the distaff, and her hands hold the spindle.
1	She	she	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	layeth	lay	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Style=Arch|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	her	her	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	4	nmod:poss	_	_
4	hands	hand	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obj	_	_
5	to	to	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	distaff	distaff	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	12	punct	_	_
9	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	12	cc	_	_
10	her	her	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	11	nmod:poss	_	_
11	hands	hand	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	12	nsubj	_	_
12	hold	hold	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	2	conj	_	_
13	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	14	det	_	_
14	spindle	spindle	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **lay** | present | She | her hands |  |  |  | to the distaff | vn create-26.4 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent hand=Result |
| 2 | **hold** | present | her hands | the spindle |  |  |  |  | vn keep-15.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent spindle=Theme |

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 2:* (Writings PRO.31.19, JPS 1917)

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:judaism:distaff:x1:2
# text = (Writings PRO.31.19, JPS 1917)
1	(	(	PUNCT	-LRB-	_	2	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	Writings	writing	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	0	root	_	_
3	PRO.31.19	PRO.31.19	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	2	appos	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	5	punct	_	_
5	JPS	JPS	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	3	flat	_	_
6	1917	1917	NUM	CD	NumForm=Digit|NumType=Card	3	flat	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	)	)	PUNCT	-RRB-	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .note -->
The frames reader finds no event or fact in this sentence.

## Example 2 {#x2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The old wife sat by the fire and worked at her distaff.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:judaism:distaff:x2:1
# text = The old wife sat by the fire and worked at her distaff.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	old	old	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	wife	wife	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
4	sat	sit	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	by	by	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	fire	fire	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
8	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	9	cc	_	_
9	worked	work	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	conj	_	_
10	at	at	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
11	her	her	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	12	nmod:poss	_	_
12	distaff	distaff	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **sit** | past | the old wife |  |  |  |  | by the fire | vn assuming\_position-50 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Agent by fire=Location |
| 2 | **work** | past | the old wife *not said here* |  |  |  |  | at wife's distaff | vn employment-95.3 «NP V PP.theme»: agent=Agent at distaff=Theme |

## Example 3 {#x3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
She spun the thread from the distaff all day.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:judaism:distaff:x3:1
# text = She spun the thread from the distaff all day.
1	She	she	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	spun	spin	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	thread	thread	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
5	from	from	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	distaff	distaff	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
8	all	all	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	9	det	_	_
9	day	day	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl:unmarked	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **spin** | past | She | the thread |  | the distaff | day |  | vn roll-51.3.1 «NP V NP PP.trajectory»: agent=Agent thread=Theme from distaff=Trajectory |

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**Text:** the Judaism dictionary of Mova's schools (`world/data/dictionary-schools/`), written for Mova. **Trees:** Mova's own parse — the `en` model on the CPU, when the site is built — not checked by a teacher; they may be wrong. **Frames:** Mova's frames reader (`prag`), each meaning and example read on its own. Elamur Cosmic License.

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