staff Hear it!

staff1 definition

staff (staf, stäf)

noun pl. staffs, staves

  1. a stick, rod, or pole; specif.,
    1. a stick used as a support in walking
    2. a pole or club used as a weapon
    3. a pole for supporting a banner or flag
    4. a rod, wand, crosier, etc. used as a symbol of authority
    5. Archaic a shaft, as of a lance
    6. any of several graduated sticks or rules used for measuring, as in surveying
  2. a group of people assisting a chief, manager, president, or other leader
  3. a group of officers serving a military or naval commanding officer in an advisory and administrative capacity without combat duties or command
  4. a specific group of workers or employees a teaching staff, newspaper staff, maintenance staff
  5. Music the horizontal lines on and between which notes are written or printed: the placement of a note on the staff indicates its pitch

Etymology: ME staf < OE stæf, akin to Ger stab, < IE base *steb(h)-, post, pole > stem, stamp

adjective

of, by, for, or on a staff; specif., employed full-time, as on a magazine staff, rather than as a freelance writer

transitive verb

to provide with a staff, as of workers
staff2 definition

☆ staff (staf, stäf)

noun

a building material of plaster and fiber, used for temporary decorative work

Etymology: < Ger staffieren, to fill out, decorate; via Du < OFr estoffe, stuff

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