staf

See also: Staf and Stäf

Afrikaans

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

staf (plural stawe)

1. staff (employees)

Synonyms

• personeel

Dutch

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɑf

Noun

staf m (plural staven, diminutive staafje n or stafje n)

1. staff (stick)

Descendants

• → Papiamentu: staf

Icelandic

Noun

staf

1. indefinite accusative singular of stafur
2. indefinite dative singular of stafur

Indonesian

Etymology

From Dutch staf, from Proto-Germanic *stabaz.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /staf/, [s(ə̆)taf], [s(ə̆)tap̚]
• Hyphenation: staf

Noun

staf (first-person possessive stafku, second-person possessive stafmu, third-person possessive stafnya)

1. staff, employees of a business

   Synonym: personil

Further reading

• “staf” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016.

Malay

Etymology

From English staff.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈstaf/ [ˈst̪af]

Noun

staf (Jawi spelling ستف, plural staf-staf, informal 1st possessive stafku, 2nd possessive stafmu, 3rd possessive stafnya)

1. staff (employees of a business)

   Synonyms: kakitangan, petugas

Further reading

• “staf” in Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu | Malay Literary Reference Centre, Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2017.

Middle English

Alternative forms

• (Early ME) stæf, steaf, steave, stef
• staaf, staffe, stave, staff

Etymology

From Old English stæf, from Proto-West Germanic *stab.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /staf/, /staːf/, /ˈstaːv(ə)/

Noun

staf (plural staves or staven or staffes)

1. A staff, rod or pole; a relatively long, narrow, and thin object:
   1. A staff used to support one's movement; a crutch.
   2. A blunt or poled weapon; a club or mace.
   3. A clerical staff, often curled; a crozier.
   4. A staff serving as an emblem of authority and rulership.
   5. A bar of a ladder (either vertical or horizontal)
   6. A rod for conveying or transporting items upon.
   7. A staff for blending or mixing ingredients.
2. (Early Middle English) A letter of the alphabet.
3. (figurative) One's nourishment or lifeblood; that which aids one.
4. (figurative) A metaphorical arm or weapon; a tool of figurative battle.
5. (rare) A limb, tillow or twig.
6. (rare) A measure for area.
7. (rare) A poetic verse.

Related terms

• bocstaff
• distaf
• staffull
• stafflike
• stafslynge

Descendants

• English: staff, stave
• Scots: staf, staff
• Yola: stheeves (plural)

References

• “staf, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-08-08.

Old Danish

Etymology

From Old Norse stafr.

Noun

staf m (plural stawæ)

1. a staff, a rod

Descendants

• Danish: stav

Swedish

Noun

staf

1. Obsolete spelling of stav.

Anagrams

• fast, fats, saft