spinster

Where does the word "spinster" come from? It comes from Middle English spinnestere, and was adopted directly into English (1600s).

Spinster’s story begins in Middle English: spinnestere meant “woman spinner.” 'woman who spins', with the feminine agent ending -ster, as in Webster (woman weaver) and Baxter (woman baker). It reached English by 1600s as spinster. John Minsheu's dictionary of 1617 calls it a term 'added in Obligations, Evidences, and Writings, unto maids unmarried'; by 1719 it meant an older unmarried woman. Today, spinster means an unmarried woman, typically an older one (now often considered offensive).

1. Stage 1 · Middle English · 1300s spinnestere "woman spinner", 'woman who spins', with the feminine agent ending -ster, as in Webster (woman weaver) and Baxter (woman baker).
2. Stage 2 · English · 1600s spinster "unmarried woman", John Minsheu's dictionary of 1617 calls it a term 'added in Obligations, Evidences, and Writings, unto maids unmarried'; by 1719 it meant an older unmarried woman.