staff

noun

1. 1.

   A pole, stick, or wand borne as an ensign of authority; a badge of office.

2. 2.

   music

   The system of five horizontal lines on which the musical notes are written

3. 3.

   A pole upon which a flag is supported and displayed.

4. 4.

   plural staffs or staves

   A long, straight, thick wooden rod or stick, especially one used to assist in walking.

5. 5.

   uncountable

   A mixture of plaster and fibre used as a temporary exterior wall covering.ᵂ

6. 6.

   musicplural staffs or staves

   A series of horizontal lines on which musical notes are written; a stave.

verb

1. 1.

   transitive

   To supply (a business, volunteer organization, etc.) with employees or staff members.

Inflected forms

Grammatical variations of the same word.

• staffernounInflected form

  An employee who is a member of a staff of workers (especially a member of the staff that works for the President of the United States).

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

• staff of lifenounCompound term

  Food made from dough of flour or meal and usually raised with yeast or baking powder and then baked.

• staff officenounCompound term

  The department responsible for hiring and training and placing employees and for setting policies for personnel management.

• staff officernounCompound term

  A commissioned officer assigned to a military commander's staff.

• staff sergeantnounCompound term

  A noncommissioned officer ranking above corporal and below sergeant first class in the Army or Marines or above airman 1st class in the Air Force.

• staff treenounCompound term

  Any small tree or twining shrub of the genus Celastrus.

• staff-tree familynounCompound term

  Trees and shrubs and woody vines usually having bright-colored fruits.