Adjacent Words

Staff definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

STAFF, n. plu. [G., a bar, a rod. The primary sense is to thrust, to shoot. See Stab.]
1. A stick carried in the hand for support or defense by a person walking; hence, a support; that which props or upholds. Bread is the proverbially called the staff of life.
The boy was the very staff of my age.
Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me. Psalms 23.
2. A stick or club used as a weapon.
With forks and staves the felon they pursue.
3. A long piece of wood; a stick; the long handle of an instrument; a pole or stick, used for many purposes.
4. The five lines and the spaces on which music is written.
5. An ensign of authority; a badge of office; as a constables staff.
6. The round of a ladder.
7. A pole erected in a ship to hoist and display a flag; called a flag-staff. There is also a jack-staff, and an ensign-staff.
8. In military affairs, an establishment of officers in various departments, attached to an army. The staff includes officers not of the line, as adjutants, quarter-masters, chaplain, surgeon, etc. The staff is the medium of communication from the commander in chief to every department of an army.
9. A stanza; a series of verses so disposed that when it is concluded, the same order begins again.
Cowley found out that no kind of staff is proper for a heroic poem, as being all too lyrical.
10. Stave and staves, plu. of staff. [See Stave.]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: 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"
2: a strong rod or stick with a specialized utilitarian purpose; "he walked with the help of a wooden staff"
3: the body of teachers and administrators at a school; "the dean addressed the letter to the entire staff of the university" [syn: staff, faculty]
4: building material consisting of plaster and hair; used to cover external surfaces of temporary structure (as at an exposition) or for decoration
5: a rod carried as a symbol
6: (music) the system of five horizontal lines on which the musical notes are written [syn: staff, stave] v
1: provide with staff; "This position is not always staffed"
2: serve on the staff of; "The two men staff the reception desk"

Merriam Webster's

I. noun (plural staffs or staves) Etymology: Middle English staf, from Old English stæf; akin to Old High German stab staff, Sanskrit stabhn?ti he supports Date: before 12th century 1. a. a long stick carried in the hand for support in walking b. a supporting rod: as (1) archaic shaft 1a(1) (2) a crosspiece in a ladder or chair ; rung (3) flagstaff (4) a pivoted arbor c. club, cudgel 2. a. crosier b. a rod carried as a symbol of office or authority 3. the horizontal lines with their spaces on which music is written — called also stave 4. any of various graduated sticks or rules used for measuring ; rod 5. plural staffs a. the officers chiefly responsible for the internal operations of an institution or business b. a group of officers appointed to assist a civil executive or commanding officer c. military or naval officers not eligible for operational command d. the personnel who assist a director in carrying out an assigned task e. plural staff a member of a staff <employs three full-time staff> • staff adjective II. transitive verb Date: 1859 1. to supply with a staff or with workers 2. to serve as a staff member of <an organization staffed by volunteers>

U.S. Military Dictionary

See multinational staff; general staff; integrated staff; joint staff; parallel staff; special staff.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

1. n. & v. --n. 1 a a stick or pole for use in walking or climbing or as a weapon. b a stick or pole as a sign of office or authority. c a person or thing that supports or sustains. d a flagstaff. e Surveying a rod for measuring distances, heights, etc. f a token given to an engine-driver on a single-track railway as authority to proceed over a given section of line. g a spindle in a watch. 2 a a body of persons employed in a business etc. (editorial staff of a newspaper). b those in authority within an organization, esp. the teachers in a school. c Mil. etc. a body of officers assisting an officer in high command and concerned with an army, regiment, fleet, or air force as a whole (general staff). d (usu. Staff) Mil. = staff sergeant. 3 (pl. staffs or staves) Mus. a set of usu. five parallel lines on any one or between any adjacent two of which a note is placed to indicate its pitch. --v.tr. provide (an institution etc.) with staff. Phrases and idioms: staff college Brit. Mil. etc. a college at which officers are trained for staff duties. staff notation Mus. notation by means of a staff, esp. as distinct from tonic sol-fa. staff nurse Brit. a nurse ranking just below a sister. staff officer Mil. an officer serving on the staff of an army etc. staff sergeant 1 Brit. the senior sergeant of a non-infantry company. 2 US a non-commissioned officer ranking just above sergeant. Derivatives: staffed adj. (also in comb.). Etymology: OE stæf f. Gmc 2. n. a mixture of plaster of Paris, cement, etc., as a temporary building-material. Etymology: 19th c.: orig. unkn.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Staff Staff, n. [G. staffiren to fill or fit out, adorn, fr. D. stoffeeren, OF. estoffer, F. ['e]toffer, fr. OF. estoffe stuff, F. ['e]toffe. See Stuff, n.] (Arch.) Plaster combined with fibrous and other materials so as to be suitable for sculpture in relief or in the round, or for forming flat plates or boards of considerable size which can be nailed to framework to make the exterior of a larger structure, forming joints which may afterward be repaired and concealed with fresh plaster.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Staff Staff, n.; pl. Staves (? or ?; 277) or Staffsin senses 1-9, Staffs in senses 10, 11. [AS. st[ae]f a staff; akin to LG. & D. staf, OFries stef, G. stab, Icel. stafr, Sw. staf, Dan. stav, Goth. stabs element, rudiment, Skr. sth[=a]pay 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.) The five lines and the spaces on which music is written; -- formerly called stave. 8. (Mech.) An arbor, as of a wheel or a pinion of a watch. 9. (Surg.) The grooved director for the gorget, or knife, used in cutting for stone in the bladder. 10. [From Staff, 3, a badge of office.] (Mil.) 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 ['E]tat 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.]

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(staffs, staffing, staffed) Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English. 1. The staff of an organization are the people who work for it. The staff were very good... He thanked his staff. ...members of staff... Many employers seek diversity in their staffs. N-COUNT-COLL see also Chief of Staff 2. People who are part of a particular staff are often referred to as staff. 10 staff were allocated to the task... He had the complete support of hospital staff. N-PLURAL 3. If an organization is staffed by particular people, they are the people who work for it. They are staffed by volunteers... The centre is staffed at all times... VERB: usu passive, be V-ed by/with n, be V-ed • staffed The house allocated to them was pleasant and spacious, and well-staffed. ADJ: adv ADJ see also short-staffed 4. A staff is a strong stick or pole. N-COUNT 5. A staff is the five lines that music is written on. (AM; in BRIT, use stave)

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

staf: Many Hebrew terms are represented by this word. The "staves" of the ark translate the word badh, literally, "a part," hence, branch, bar, etc. (Ex 25:13,14,15,27,28, etc.). Other words, as matteh, maqqel, shebhet, used of the staff in the hand, the shepherd's staff, figuratively, "staff of bread" (matteh, Eze 4:16; 5:16; 14:13), as indispensable for support of life, are dealt with under ROD (which see). The New Testament word is rhabdos (Mt 10:10 parallel Lu 9:3; Heb 11:21).

See also SCEPTRE.

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. Stick, pole, rod. 2. Partisan, truncheon, quarter-staff, club, cudgel, bludgeon, shillelah, bat. 3. Cane, stick. 4. Support, prop, stay. 5. Mace, truncheon, bâton. 6. Staff-officers, general officers, état major. 7. Stanza, stave.

Moby Thesaurus

British Cabinet, Malacca cane, Sanhedrin, US Cabinet, accouter, advisory body, advocate, alpenstock, appoint, arm, armory, assembly, association, athletic supporter, back, backbone, backing, badge, badge of office, badges, baluster, balustrade, bandeau, banister, bar, bar line, base, baton, bearer, bench, blazonry, board, body of advisers, borough council, bra, brace, bracer, bracket, brain trust, brassard, brassiere, button, buttress, cabinet, caduceus, camarilla, cane, cap and gown, carrier, caryatid, cervix, chain, chain of office, chamber, city council, class ring, club, cockade, collar, colonnade, column, common council, conference, congress, consultative assembly, corset, council, council fire, council of ministers, council of state, council of war, county council, court, crew, crook, crosier, cross, cross-staff, crozier, crutch, crutch-stick, dado, decoration, degree, deliberative assembly, die, diet, directory, divan, dress, eagle, emblems, employees, ensigns, equip, fasces, figurehead, fit, fit out, fit up, fleur-de-lis, footstalk, force, foundation garment, fulcrum, furnish, gang, gavel, gear, girdle, guy, guywire, hammer and sickle, handstaff, heel, help, heraldry, hired help, insignia, jack, jock, jockstrap, junta, kitchen cabinet, lapel pin, ledger line, legislature, line, lituus, livery, mace, mainstay, maintainer, man, mantle, markings, mast, medal, men, mortarboard, munition, neck, newel-post, old school tie, organization, outfit, parish council, pastoral staff, paterissa, peduncle, personnel, pier, pike, pilaster, pile, piling, pillar, pin, plinth, pole, portfolio, post, prepare, privy council, prop, quarterstaff, queen-post, regalia, reinforce, reinforcement, reinforcer, rest, resting place, retinue, rig, rig out, rig up, rigging, ring, rod, rod of office, rose, scepter, school ring, servantry, shaft, shamrock, shillelagh, shoulder, shroud, sigillography, skull and crossbones, socle, soviet, space, sphragistics, spine, sprit, stake, stalk, stanchion, stand, standard, standing rigging, stave, stay, stem, stick, stiffener, strengthener, subbase, support, supporter, surbase, sustainer, swagger stick, swanking stick, swastika, syndicate, synod, tartan, team, the help, thistle, tie, tribunal, truncheon, trunk, turn out, uniform, upholder, upright, verge, walking stick, wand, wand of office