spinster
noun/ˈspɪnstə(r)/
/ˈspɪnstər/
(old-fashioned, offensive)- a word for a woman who is not married and is no longer young that is now considered offensive
- The sisters were to remain spinsters for the rest of their lives.
Oxford Collocations DictionarySpinster is used before these nouns:- aunt
Word Originlate Middle English (in the sense ‘woman who spins’): from the verb spin + -ster; in early use the term was added to names of women to denote their occupation. The current sense dates from the early 18th cent.Want to learn more?
Find out which words work together and produce more natural sounding English with the Oxford Collocations Dictionary app.
Check pronunciation:
spinster