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.