spinster

IPA: spˈɪnstɝ

(sometimes derogatory) A woman who has never been married, especially one past the typical marrying age according to social traditions.
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.
(obsolete) Someone whose occupation was spinning thread.
(obsolete) A woman of evil life and character; so called from being forced to spin in a house of correction.
(rare, dialectal) A spider; an insect (such as a silkworm) which spins thread.

Examples of "spinster" in Sentences

Women spun for their own households, and the term spinster was introduced.
She was tall for a woman and still rather young to live under the weight of the title spinster.
The age-old term "spinster," for example, continues to be used to deride unmarried women -- past their prime, and left spinning in the tower.
The term spinster — used today to refer to a woman who remains unmarried — originated with women who spent their adult years at the spinning wheel rather than raising a family.
The headline's use of the term spinster is clearly a pejorative term that connotes an attempt to avoid degradation and disapproval by society by maintaining single-status beyond the time that society believes is appropriate.