spinster

Noun

spinster (plural spinsters)

1. (derogatory, sometimes) A woman who has never been married, especially one past the typical marrying age according to social traditions.
   • If […] a woman be named spinster, she may abate […]the same [writ].1628–1644, Edw[ard] Coke, (please specify |part=1 to 4), London
   • Iola Boylen is Mama's longtime friend and neighbor, a spinster who lives with her never-seen domineering mother.1993, Vincent Terrace, Television Character and Story Facts, Over 110,000 Details from 1,008 Shows, 1945-1992, page 282

   Synonyms:

   old maid

2. One who spins (puts a spin on) a political media story so as to give something a favorable or advantageous appearance; a spin doctor, spin merchant or spinmeister.
3. (obsolete) Someone whose occupation was spinning thread.
   • The spinsters and the knitters in the sun.c. 1601–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Twelfe Night, or What You Will”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and...
4. (obsolete) A woman of evil life and character; so called from being forced to spin in a house of correction.
5. (dialectal, rare) A spider; an insect (such as a silkworm) which spins thread.