Etymology Map
Back to all words

Spinster

2 stages from Middle English to English.

Today it means an unmarried woman, typically an older one (now often considered offensive)

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

1
Stage 1 of 2
spinnestere
Middle English · 1300s
"woman spinner"
'woman who spins', with the feminine agent ending -ster, as in Webster (woman weaver) and Baxter (woman baker)
2
Stage 2 of 2
spinster
English · 1600s
"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
Drag to pan · scroll to zoom
Read the full story

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).