staves

[ steyvz ]

/ steɪvz /

noun

a plural of staff¹.

plural of stave.

QUIZZES

DO YOU KNOW THIS VOCABULARY FROM "THE HANDMAID'S TALE"?

"The Handmaid's Tale" was required reading for many of us in school. Everyone else has probably watched the very popular and addictive TV show. Do you remember this vocabulary from the book, and do you know what these terms mean?

Question 1 of 10

decorum

the act of or need for making up one's mind.

dignified propriety of behavior, speech, dress, etc.

a company of singers, especially an organized group employed in church service.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Words nearby staves

stauroplegia, stauroscope, stavanger, stave, stave off, staves, stavesacre, stavropol, staw, stay, stay out

Definition for staves (2 of 4)

staff¹

[ staf, stahf ]

/ stæf, stɑf /

noun, plural staffs for 1–5, 9; staves [steyvz] /steɪvz/ or staffs for 6–8, 10, 11.

a group of persons, as employees, charged with carrying out the work of an establishment or executing some undertaking.

a group of assistants to a manager, superintendent, or executive.

a member of a staff.

Military.

a body of officers without command authority, appointed to assist a commanding officer.
the parts of any army concerned with administrative matters, planning, etc., rather than with actual participation in combat.

those members of an organization serving only in an auxiliary or advisory capacity on a given project.Compare line¹(def 38).

a stick, pole, or rod for aid in walking or climbing, for use as a weapon, etc.

a rod or wand serving as a symbol of office or authority, as a crozier, baton, truncheon, or mace.

a pole on which a flag is hung or displayed.

something that supports or sustains.

Also stave. Music. a set of horizontal lines, now five in number, with the corresponding four spaces between them, on which music is written.

Archaic. the shaft of a spear, lance, etc.

adjective

of or relating to a military or organizational staff: a staff officer; staff meetings.

(of a professional person) employed on the staff of a corporation, publication, institution, or the like rather than being self-employed or practicing privately: a staff writer; staff physicians at the hospital.

verb (used with object)

to provide with a staff of assistants or workers: She staffed her office with excellent secretaries.

to serve on the staff of.

to send to a staff for study or further work (often followed by out): The White House will staff out the recommendations before making a decision.

verb (used without object)

to hire employees, as for a new office or project (sometimes followed by up): Next month we'll begin staffing up for the reelection campaign.

Origin of staff

before 900; Middle English staf (noun), Old English stæf; cognate with Dutch staf, German Stab, Old Norse stafr staff, Sanskrit stabh- support

usage note for staff

See collective noun.

OTHER WORDS FROM staff

staff·less, adjectiveun·staffed, adjectivewell-staffed, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH staff

staff staph

Definition for staves (3 of 4)

stave

[ steyv ]

/ steɪv /

noun

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

a stick, rod, pole, or the like.

a rung of a ladder, chair, etc.

Prosody.

a verse or stanza of a poem or song.
the alliterating sound in a line of verse, as the w-sound in wind in the willows.

Music. staff¹(def 10).

verb (used with object), staved or stove, stav·ing.

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

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

to break or crush (something) inward (often followed by in).

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

to break to pieces; splinter; smash.

to furnish with a stave or staves.

to beat with a stave or staff.

verb (used without object), staved or stove, stav·ing.

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

to move along rapidly.

Verb Phrases

stave off,

to put, ward, or keep off, as by force or evasion.
to prevent in time; forestall: He wasn't able to stave off bankruptcy.

Origin of stave

1125–75; (noun) Middle English, back formation from staves; (v.) derivative of the noun

SYNONYMS FOR stave

4 See verse.

OTHER WORDS FROM stave

un·staved, adjective

Definition for staves (4 of 4)

staff²

[ staf, stahf ]

/ stæf, stɑf /

noun

a composition of plaster and fibrous material used for a temporary finish and in ornamental work, as on exposition buildings.

Origin of staff

1890–95, Americanism; perhaps < German Stoff stuff

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for staves

It is clear to you that she intends to use the staves as oars.
Whatever You Do Someone Will Die. A Short Story About Impossible Choices in Iraq|Nathan Bradley Bethea|August 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In Italy he decides that fascism is in fact “a sort of boy scout regime; but instead of staves it carries revolvers.”
The Grand Tour in Style: Robert Byron’s ‘Europe in the Looking-Glass’|Malcolm Forbes|November 16, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Another common trick is to flavor inexpensive wines with oak chips or staves.
The Great Wine Cover-up|Keith Wallace|August 18, 2009|DAILY BEAST
Close by the border were the rings, the places for the staves to bear the table.
The Bible Story|Rev. Newton Marshall Hall

And he cast four rings for the four ends of the grating of brass, to be places for the staves.
The Bible Story|Rev. Newton Marshall Hall
If the old man had bidden his sons bind their staves in several bundles instead of in one, the result would have been doubtful.
An American Politician|F. Marion Crawford
Bourrit provided himself with a fourteen-foot ladder, a couple of hatchets, ropes and staves, and started with a small party.
The Spell of Switzerland|Nathan Haskell Dole
Our bonnets had staves in de brim to make 'em stand out and had ruffles 'round de front.
Slave Narratives: A Folk History of Slavery in the United States|Work Projects Administration

British Dictionary definitions for staves (1 of 4)

staves

/ (steɪvz) /

noun

a plural of staff 1, stave

British Dictionary definitions for staves (2 of 4)

staff¹

/ (stɑːf) /

noun plural for senses 1,3,4 staffs or plural for senses 5-9 staffs or staves (steɪvz)

a group of people employed by a company, individual, etc, for executive, clerical, sales work, etc

(modifier) attached to or provided for the staff of an establishmenta staff doctor

the body of teachers or lecturers of an educational institution, as distinct from the students

the officers appointed to assist a commander, service, or central headquarters organization in establishing policy, plans, etc

a stick with some special use, such as a walking stick or an emblem of authority

something that sustains or supportsbread is the staff of life

a pole on which a flag is hung

mainly British a graduated rod used in surveying, esp for sighting to with a levelling instrumentUsual US name: rod

Also called: stave music

the system of horizontal lines grouped into sets of five (four in the case of plainsong) upon which music is written. The spaces between them are also used, being employed in conjunction with a clef in order to give a graphic indication of pitch
any set of five lines in this system together with its clefthe treble staff

verb

(tr) to provide with a staff

Word Origin for staff

Old English stæf; related to Old Frisian stef, Old Saxon staf, German Stab, Old Norse stafr, Gothic Stafs; see stave

British Dictionary definitions for staves (3 of 4)

staff²

/ (stɑːf) /

noun

US a mixture of plaster and hair used to cover the external surface of temporary structures and for decoration

Word Origin for staff

C19: of unknown origin

British Dictionary definitions for staves (4 of 4)

stave

/ (steɪv) /

noun

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

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

any stick, staff, etc

a stanza or verse of a poem

music

British an individual group of five lines and four spaces used in staff notation
another word for staff 1 (def. 9)

verb staves, staving, staved or stove

(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

(tr usually foll by in) to burst or force (a hole in something)

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

(tr) Scot to sprain (a finger, toe, etc)

Word Origin for stave

C14: back formation from staves, plural of staff 1

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medical definitions for staves

staff

[ stăf ]

n.

A specific group of workers.

director

v.

To provide with a staff of workers or assistants.

To serve on the staff of.

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WORD OF THE DAY

staves

noun

QUIZZES

DO YOU KNOW THIS VOCABULARY FROM "THE HANDMAID'S TALE"?

Words nearby staves

Definition for staves (2 of 4)

noun, plural staffs for 1–5, 9; staves [steyvz] /steɪvz/ or staffs for 6–8, 10, 11.

adjective

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

Origin of staff

usage note for staff

OTHER WORDS FROM staff

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH staff

Definition for staves (3 of 4)

noun

verb (used with object), staved or stove, stav·ing.

verb (used without object), staved or stove, stav·ing.

Verb Phrases

Origin of stave

SYNONYMS FOR stave

OTHER WORDS FROM stave

Definition for staves (4 of 4)

noun

Origin of staff

Words related to staves

Example sentences from the Web for staves

British Dictionary definitions for staves (1 of 4)

noun

British Dictionary definitions for staves (2 of 4)

noun plural for senses 1,3,4 staffs or plural for senses 5-9 staffs or staves (steɪvz)

verb

Word Origin for staff

British Dictionary definitions for staves (3 of 4)

noun

Word Origin for staff

British Dictionary definitions for staves (4 of 4)

noun

verb staves, staving, staved or stove

Word Origin for stave

Medical definitions for staves

n.

v.