staff1
  
  n.
     - 
[treated as sing. or pl.]
 the employees of a particular organization. 
▸a group of officers assisting an officer in command of an army formation or administration headquarters.
 ▸
(usu. Staff)
 short for staff sergeant.
 - a long stick used as a support or weapon. 
▸a rod or sceptre held as a sign of office or authority.
 ▸Surveying  a rod for measuring distances or heights.
 - Brit. a spindle in a watch.
 - Music  another term for stave (in sense 2).
 - Brit. a token in the form of a rod given to a train driver as authority to proceed over a single-track line.
 
v.
 provide with staff.
 
  Phrase
  
    
      - the staff of life
 bread or another staple food. 
    
   
  Etymology
  OE stæf (in sense 2), of Gmc origin.
 
  
    
staff2
  
  n.
 a mixture of plaster of Paris, cement, etc. used for temporary building work.
 
  Etymology
  C19: of unknown origin.