spinsterly


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spin·ster

(spĭn′stər)
n.
1. Often Offensive A woman, especially an older one, who has not married.
2. Archaic A person, especially a woman, whose occupation is spinning thread.
[Middle English spinnestere, female spinner of thread : spinnen, to spin; see spin + -estere, -ster, -ster.]
spin′ster·hood′ n.
spin′ster·ish, spin′ster·ly adj.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

spinsterly

(ˈspɪnstəlɪ)
adj
relating to or resembling a spinster
adv
in the manner of a spinster
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
References in periodicals archive ?
In fact, I was downright spinsterly, living happily with two dogs and working 80+ hours a week, when I realized that I probably shouldn't wait any longer to get going on that whole parenting thing.
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Anne demonstrates spinsterly behavior in her refusal to participate in activities related to the marriage market.
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To be sure Somerset and Dorset have sea, hills, the melodies of little streams and those squat thatched cottages, where spinsterly knitters gossip, their brains twinkling like needles.
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