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Definition of spinster noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

spinster

noun
 
/ˈspɪnstə(r)/
 
/ˈspɪnstər/
(old-fashioned, offensive)
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  1. 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.
    This word should not now be used to mean simply a woman who is not married. compare bachelor
    Oxford Collocations DictionarySpinster is used before these nouns:
    • aunt
    See full entry
    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.
See spinster in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary
Check pronunciation: spinster

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adverb
 
 
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