Staff

4 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Staff \Staff\ (st[.a]f), 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 1913 Suppl.]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Staff \Staff\ (st[.a]f), n.; pl. {Staves} (st[=a]vz or
     st[aum]vz; 277) or {Staffs} (st[.a]fs) in senses 1-9,
     {Staffs} in senses 10, 11. [AS. staef 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 stick, used for many
        purposes; as, a surveyor's staff; the staff of a spear or
        pike.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              And he put the staves into the rings on the sides of
              the altar to bear it withal.          --Ex. xxxviii.
                                                    7.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              With forks and staves the felon to pursue. --Dryden.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     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.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              The boy was the very staff of my age. --Shak.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              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.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     3. A pole, stick, or wand borne as an ensign of authority; a
        badge of office; as, a constable's staff.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              Methought this staff, mine office badge in court,
              Was broke in twain.                   --Shak.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              All his officers brake their staves; but at their
              return new staves were delivered unto them.
                                                    --Hayward.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     4. A pole upon which a flag is supported and displayed.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     5. The round of a ladder. [R.]
        [1913 Webster]
  
              I ascended at one [ladder] of six hundred and
              thirty-nine staves.                   --Dr. J.
                                                    Campbell (E.
                                                    Brown's
                                                    Travels).
        [1913 Webster]
  
     6. A series of verses so disposed that, when it is concluded,
        the same order begins again; a stanza; a stave.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              Cowley found out that no kind of staff is proper for
              an heroic poem, as being all too lyrical. --Dryden.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     7. (Mus.) The five lines and the spaces on which music is
        written; -- formerly called {stave}.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     8. (Mech.) An arbor, as of a wheel or a pinion of a watch.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     9. (Surg.) The grooved director for the gorget, or knife,
        used in cutting for stone in the bladder.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     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}.
         [1913 Webster]
  
     11. Hence: A body of assistants serving to carry into effect
         the plans of a superintendent or manager; sometimes used
         for the entire group of employees of an enterprise,
         excluding the top management; as, the staff of a
         newspaper.
         [1913 Webster +PJC]
  
     {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 ({Celastrus scandens}) is commonly called
        {bittersweet}. See 2d {Bittersweet}, 3
         (b) .
  
     {To set up one's staff}, {To put up one's staff}, {To set
     down one's staff} or {To put down one's staff}, to take up
        one's residence; to lodge. [Obs.]
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  staff
       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: the body of teachers and administrators at a school; "the
          dean addressed the letter to the entire staff of the
          university" [syn: {faculty}]
       3: a strong rod or stick with a specialized utilitarian
          purpose; "he walked with the help of a wooden staff"
       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: {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"

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  236 Moby Thesaurus words for "staff":
     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