STAFF

staff

(noun) a strong rod or stick with a specialized utilitarian purpose; “he walked with the help of a wooden staff”

staff, stave

(noun) (music) the system of five horizontal lines on which the musical notes are written

staff

(noun) a rod carried as a symbol

staff, faculty

(noun) the body of teachers and administrators at a school; “the dean addressed the letter to the entire staff of the university”

staff

(noun) personnel who assist their superior in carrying out an assigned task; “the hospital has an excellent nursing staff”; “the general relied on his staff to make routine decisions”

staff

(noun) building material consisting of plaster and hair; used to cover external surfaces of temporary structure (as at an exposition) or for decoration

staff

(verb) provide with staff; “This position is not always staffed”

staff

(verb) serve on the staff of; “The two men staff the reception desk”

Source: WordNet® 3.1

---

Etymology 1

Noun

staff (countable and uncountable, plural staffs or staves or staff)

(plural staffs or staves) A long, straight, thick wooden rod or stick, especially one used to assist in walking.

(music, plural staves) A series of horizontal lines on which musical notes are written; a stave.

(plural staff or staffs) The employees of a business.

(uncountable) A mixture of plaster and fibre used as a temporary exterior wall covering.^W

A pole, stick, or wand borne as an ensign of authority; a badge of office.

A pole upon which a flag is supported and displayed.

(archaic) The rung of a ladder.

A series of verses so disposed that, when it is concluded, the same order begins again; a stanza; a stave.

(engineering) An arbor, as of a wheel or a pinion of a watch.

(surgery) The grooved director for the gorget, or knife, used in cutting for stone in the bladder.

(military) An establishment of officers in various departments attached to an army, to a section of an army, or to the commander of an army. The general's staff consists of those officers about his person who are employed in carrying his commands into execution.

Synonyms

• (piece of wood): See stick

• (music): stave

• (employees): personnel

Verb

staff (third-person singular simple present staffs, present participle staffing, simple past and past participle staffed)

(transitive) To supply (a business, volunteer organization, etc.) with employees or staff members.

Etymology 2

Noun

staff

Misspelling of staph.

Anagrams

• taffs

Source: Wiktionary

---

Staff, n.; pl. Staves ( or Staffs in senses 1-9, Staffs in senses 10, 11. Etym: [AS. stæf a staff; akin to LG. & D. staf, OFries stef, G. stab, Icel. stafr, Sw. staf, Dan. stav, Goth. stabs element, rudiment, Skr. sthapay to cause to stand, to place. See Stand, and cf. Stab, Stave, n.]

1. A long piece of wood; a stick; the long handle of an instrument or weapon; a pole or srick, used for many purposes; as, a surveyor's staff; the staff of a spear or pike. And he put the staves into the rings on the sides of the altar to bear it withal. Ex. xxxviii. 7. With forks and staves the felon to pursue. Dryden.

2. A stick carried in the hand for support or defense by a person walking; hence, a support; that which props or upholds. "Hooked staves." Piers Plowman. The boy was the very staff of my age. Shak. He spoke of it [beer] in "The Earnest Cry," and likewise in the "Scotch Drink," as one of the staffs of life which had been struck from the poor man's hand. Prof. Wilson.

3. A pole, stick, or wand borne as an ensign of authority; a badge of office; as, a constable's staff. Methought this staff, mine office badge in court, Was broke in twain. Shak. All his officers brake their staves; but at their return new staves were delivered unto them. Hayward.

4. A pole upon which a flag is supported and displayed.

5. The round of a ladder. [R.] I ascend at one [ladder] of six hundred and thirty-nine staves. Dr. J. Campbell (E. Brown's Travels).

6. A series of verses so disposed that, when it is concluded, the same order begins again; a stanza; a stave. Cowley found out that no kind of staff is proper for an heroic poem, as being all too lyrical. Dryden.

7. (Mus.)

Definition: The five lines and the spaces on which music is written; -- formerly called stave.

8. (Mech.)

Definition: An arbor, as of a wheel or a pinion of a watch.

9. (Surg.)

Definition: The grooved director for the gorget, or knife, used in cutting for stone in the bladder.

10. Etym: [From Staff, 3, a badge of office.] (Mil.)

Definition: An establishment of officers in various departments attached to an army, to a section of an army, or to the commander of an army. The general's staff consists of those officers about his person who are employed in carrying his commands into execution. See État Major.

11. Hence: A body of assistants serving to carry into effect the plans of a superintendant or manager; as, the staff of a newspaper. Jacob's staff (Surv.), a single straight rod or staff, pointed and iron-shod at the bottom, for penetrating the ground, and having a socket joint at the top, used, instead of a tripod, for supporting a compass.

– Staff angle (Arch.), a square rod of wood standing flush with the wall on each of its sides, at the external angles of plastering, to prevent their being damaged.

– The staff of life, bread. "Bread is the staff of life." Swift.

– Staff tree (Bot.), any plant of the genus Celastrus, mostly climbing shrubs of the northern hemisphere. The American species (C. scandens) is commonly called bittersweet. See 2d Bittersweet, 3 (b).

– To set, or To put, up, or down, one's staff, to take up one's residence; to lodge. [Obs.]

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition

---

Do you know this game?

Wordscapes is a popular word game consistently in the top charts of both Google Play Store and Apple App Store. The Android version has more than 10 million installs. This guide will help you get more coins in less than two minutes of playing the game. Continue reading Wordscapes: Get More Coins