Talk:Prince family

Distaff
Distaff can refer to "women's work" (an archaic term) or a spinning wheel, but it can also refer to the female side of a family. That is, the maternal side. Most families, at least in the West, are patrilineal, meaning they trace families through the father (like with surname). Severus Snape is a Prince on his mother's side, hence a distaff member of the family. You can see here and here for a discussion of the term. Oread 16:11, 17 March 2008 (UTC)