staff

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

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.]
    

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.
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            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.
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            Methought this staff, mine office badge in court,
            Was broke in twain.                   --Shak.
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            All his officers brake their staves; but at their
            return new staves were delivered unto them.
                                                  --Hayward.
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   4. A pole upon which a flag is supported and displayed.
      [1913 Webster]

   5. The round of a ladder. [R.]
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            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.
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            Cowley found out that no kind of staff is proper for
            an heroic poem, as being all too lyrical. --Dryden.
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   7. (Mus.) The five lines and the spaces on which music is
      written; -- formerly called {stave}.
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   8. (Mech.) An arbor, as of a wheel or a pinion of a watch.
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   9. (Surg.) The grooved director for the gorget, or knife,
      used in cutting for stone in the bladder.
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   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]
    

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