stave

[ steyv ]

/ steɪv /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR stave ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

one of the thin, narrow, shaped pieces of wood that form the sides of a cask, tub, or similar vessel.

a stick, rod, pole, or the like.

a rung of a ladder, chair, etc.

Prosody.

a verse or stanza of a poem or song.
the alliterating sound in a line of verse, as the w-sound in wind in the willows.

Music. staff¹(def 10).

verb (used with object), staved or stove, stav·ing.

to break in a stave or staves of (a cask or barrel) so as to release the wine, liquor, or other contents.

to release (wine, liquor, etc.) by breaking the cask or barrel.

to break or crush (something) inward (often followed by in).

to break (a hole) in, especially in the hull of a boat.

to break to pieces; splinter; smash.

to furnish with a stave or staves.

to beat with a stave or staff.

verb (used without object), staved or stove, stav·ing.

to become staved in, as a boat; break in or up.

to move along rapidly.

Verb Phrases

stave off,

to put, ward, or keep off, as by force or evasion.
to prevent in time; forestall: He wasn't able to stave off bankruptcy.

Origin of stave

1125–75; (noun) Middle English, back formation from staves; (v.) derivative of the noun

SYNONYMS FOR stave

4 See verse.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR stave ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM stave

un·staved, adjective

Words nearby stave

staurolite, stauropegion, stauroplegia, stauroscope, stavanger, stave, stave off, staves, stavesacre, stavropol, staw

British Dictionary definitions for stave off (1 of 2)

stave off

verb

(tr, adverb) to avert or hold off (something undesirable or harmful), esp temporarily to stave off hunger

British Dictionary definitions for stave off (2 of 2)

stave

/ (steɪv) /

noun

any one of a number of long strips of wood joined together to form a barrel, bucket, boat hull, etc

any of various bars, slats, or rods, usually of wood, such as a rung of a ladder or a crosspiece bracing the legs of a chair

any stick, staff, etc

a stanza or verse of a poem

music

British an individual group of five lines and four spaces used in staff notation
another word for staff 1 (def. 9)

verb staves, staving, staved or stove

(often foll by in) to break or crush (the staves of a boat, barrel, etc) or (of the staves of a boat) to be broken or crushed

(tr usually foll by in) to burst or force (a hole in something)

(tr) to provide (a ladder, chair, etc) with a stave or staves

(tr) Scot to sprain (a finger, toe, etc)

Word Origin for stave

C14: back formation from staves, plural of staff 1

Idioms and Phrases with stave off

stave off

Keep or hold away, repel, as in The Federal Reserve Board is determined to stave off inflation. This metaphoric expression transfers beating something off with a staff or stave to nonphysical repulsion. [c. 1600]

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

stave

noun

verb (used with object), staved or stove, stav·ing.

verb (used without object), staved or stove, stav·ing.

Verb Phrases

Origin of stave

SYNONYMS FOR stave

OTHER WORDS FROM stave

Words nearby stave

British Dictionary definitions for stave off (1 of 2)

verb

British Dictionary definitions for stave off (2 of 2)

noun

verb staves, staving, staved or stove

Word Origin for stave

Idioms and Phrases with stave off

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

stave

noun

verb (used with object), staved or stove, stav·ing.

verb (used without object), staved or stove, stav·ing.

Verb Phrases

Origin of stave

SYNONYMS FOR stave

OTHER WORDS FROM stave

Words nearby stave

Words related to stave off

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []) .push({}); British Dictionary definitions for stave off (1 of 2)

verb

British Dictionary definitions for stave off (2 of 2)

noun

verb staves, staving, staved or stove

Word Origin for stave

Idioms and Phrases with stave off

British Dictionary definitions for stave off (1 of 2)