stave

[steyv]

noun

1. one of the thin, narrow, shaped pieces of wood that form the sides of a cask, tub, or similar vessel.

2. a stick, rod, pole, or the like.

3. a rung of a ladder, chair, etc.

4. Prosody.

   1. a verse or stanza of a poem or song.

   2. the alliterating sound in a line of verse, as the w- sound in wind in the willows.

5. Music.,  staff.

verb (used with object)

staved, stove, staving. 

1. to break in a stave or staves of (a cask or barrel) so as to release the wine, liquor, or other contents.

2. to release (wine, liquor, etc.) by breaking the cask or barrel.

3. to break or crush (something) inward (often followed byin ).

4. to break (a hole) in, especially in the hull of a boat.

5. to break to pieces; splinter; smash.

6. to furnish with a stave or staves.

7. to beat with a stave or staff.

verb (used without object)

staved, stove, staving. 

1. to become staved in, as a boat; break in or up.

2. to move along rapidly.

verb phrase

1. stave off

   1. to put, ward, or keep off, as by force or evasion.

   2. to prevent in time; forestall.

      He wasn't able to stave off bankruptcy.

stave

/ steɪv /

noun

1. any one of a number of long strips of wood joined together to form a barrel, bucket, boat hull, etc

2. any of various bars, slats, or rods, usually of wood, such as a rung of a ladder or a crosspiece bracing the legs of a chair

3. any stick, staff, etc

4. a stanza or verse of a poem

5. music

   1. an individual group of five lines and four spaces used in staff notation

   2. another word for staff 1

verb

1. (often foll by in) to break or crush (the staves of a boat, barrel, etc) or (of the staves of a boat) to be broken or crushed

2. to burst or force (a hole in something)

3. (tr) to provide (a ladder, chair, etc) with a stave or staves

4. (tr) to sprain (a finger, toe, etc)

Other Word Forms

• unstaved adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of stave¹

First recorded in 1125–75; (noun) Middle English, back formation from staves; (verb) derivative of the noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of stave¹

C14: back formation from staves , plural of _staff ¹

Synonym Study

See verse.

Example Sentences

For many Americans taking a weight-loss drug, Thanksgiving presents a conundrum: Take the weekly dose that staves off hunger, or push it off so they can feast?

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Professional musician Anthony Pratt came up with the idea to stave off the boredom of the blackouts during World War Two in Birmingham, with his wife Elva designing the now iconic board.

Read more on BBC

A $7 billion IMF bailout helped unlock further loans from friendly nations, staving off collapse.

Read more on Barron's

I was following one of the most important commandments of retirement: Keep busy to stave off feelings of isolation or depression.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The water and waste utility that serves 16 million people is nearly £20bn in debt and living off an emergency loan granted by its existing lenders keen to stave off collapse.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• anticipate 
• avert 
• avoid 
• counteract 
• foil 
• forestall 
• halt 
• preclude 
• put an end to 
• rule out 
• thwart