Why the unmarried woman in the Middle Ages was called Preyui?

The English word Spinster has two meanings: "Unmarried woman" and "spark". Currently, this term is most often meant a lonely woman, which because of his age has already lost all hopes to marry. Simply put, old Virgo. But in the middle of the XIV century, the main thing was that the second meaning – "right".

The fact is that at the beginning of the XIV century England was a major exporter of wool. In the middle of the century spinning ("spinning") was the usual session of unmarried woman. Over time, the word Spinster began to designate a girl or a woman who noded wool.

Give daughter-plea married parents in no hurry. Not at all because the spinning was considered a disadvantage. On the contrary, it was something like a family asset. Daughter could work for himself and for dad. That’s why he was unprofitable to lose the cormal. Yes, and straight knew their price and did not hurry to marry the first oncoming.

In legal documents of the time, the generation of the activity often played the role of the name. From here there were such common last names like Smith – "Kuznets", Baker – "Baker", Tanner – "Kozhevnik". Spinster last name did not fix it legally.

Gradually, instead of exporting wool in the country, began to engage in its treatment, and already in the XV century England turned into a Sukna manufacturer. And in the middle of the XVII century, industrial coup began, and manual work began to outpire factories. Sukonovo production gave way to the first positions of cotton industry, metallurgy and mechanical engineering.

Already from the XVIII century, Spinster is used in the documents to designate a unmarried woman or a woman who is unlikely to marry. And currently in legal documents, instead of Spinster, Single is used in this meaning. In the surroundings, the word is usually translated as "Old Virgo".

There is another English expression that is often used to unmarried Girl: "Blue stocking" – BlueStocking. In fact, it can mean married lady. Just too serious. The term appeared in the Epoch of Enlightenment, in the 1760s, in the salon of the writer Elizabeth Montague. This is a nickname of a scientist of a woman, deprived of charm and fully absorbed by book interests. Although the first received it . Man. But this is a completely different story.