English
spinster
Spinster comes from Middle English spynnestere ‘woman who spins fibre’, from Old English spinnan ‘to spin’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)pénh₁-ne-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)pénh₁-ne-reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*spinnaną‘to spin’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*spinnan‘to spin’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150spinnan‘to spin’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500spinnen‘to spin or convert fibre into yarn’
- Middle English, derivedc. 1150–1500spynnestere‘woman who spins fibre’
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1601–1602spinster
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)pénh₁-ne-reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*spinnaną‘to spin’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*spinnan‘to spin’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150spinnan‘to spin’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500spinnen‘to spin or convert fibre into yarn’
- Middle English, derivedc. 1150–1500spynnestere‘woman who spins fibre’
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1601–1602spinster
Earliest quotation: c. 1601–1602, William Shakespeare, Twelfe Night, or What You Will: “The spinsters and the knitters in the sun.”
Formed from spin + -ster
Proto-Indo-European *(s)penh₁- ‘to twist’
Proto-Germanic *spinnaną ‘to spin’
Old English spinnan ‘to spin’
Middle English spinnen ‘to spin or convert fibre into yarn’
English spin
The story
The semantic development is from a historical notion of unmarried women spinning thread for a living.
Linked words
through Proto-Germanic *spinnaną ‘to spin’
through Proto-West Germanic *spinnan ‘to spin’
through Middle English spinnen ‘to spin or convert fibre into yarn’
Today it means
noun A woman who has never been married, especially one past the typical marrying age according to social traditions.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *(s)pénh₁-ne- / spinster