What is the meaning of spinster?

The noun 'spinster' is a gender specific noun for a female; a Word for a woman who is past a child bearing age but has never married.

The term stems from an era when most females were not educated and if not married became a dependent in the household of a family member. One of the jobs frequently assigned to an adult dependent family member (everyone had to earn their keep) was spinning wool and thread, literally the family spinster.