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staff¹

(stăf)

n. pl. staffs or staves (stāvz)

a. A stick or cane carried as an aid in walking or climbing.

b. A stout stick used as a weapon; a cudgel.

c. A pole on which a flag is displayed; a flagstaff.

d. A rod or baton carried as a symbol of authority.

2. pl. staffs A rule or similar graduated stick used for testing or measuring, as in surveying.

3. pl. staffs

a. A group of assistants to a manager, executive, or other person in authority.

b. A group of military officers assigned to assist a commanding officer in an executive or advisory capacity.

c. The personnel who carry out a specific enterprise: the nursing staff of a hospital.

4. Something that serves as a staple or support.

5. Music A set of horizontal lines and intermediate spaces used in notation to represent a sequence of pitches, in modern notation normally consisting of five lines and four spaces. Also called stave.

tr.v. staffed, staff·ing, staffs

1. To provide with a staff of workers or assistants.

2. To serve on the staff of (an organization).

[Middle English staf, from Old English stæf.]

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staff1

staff²

(stăf)

A building material of plaster and fiber used as an exterior wall covering of temporary buildings, as at expositions.

[Perhaps from German Stoff, stuff.]

stave

(stāv)

a. A narrow strip of wood forming part of the sides of a barrel, tub, or similar structure.

b. One of the wooden planks in a stave wall.

2. A rung of a ladder or chair.

3. A staff or cudgel.

4. Music See staff¹.

5. A set of verses; a stanza.

tr.v. staved or stove (stōv), stav·ing, staves

To crush or smash inward, often by making a hole. Often used with in: "The jetliner had staved in the south side of the structure. The plane had ripped a hole 150 feet wide" (Bill Sammon).

Phrasal Verb:

stave off

To keep or hold off; repel: "For 12 years, we've sought to stave off this ultimate threat of disaster" (New York Times).

[Back-formation from staves, pl. of STAFF¹.]

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stave

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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