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| stave [ stayv ] |
noun (plural staves) |
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| Definition: |
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1. band of wood: a long thin piece of wood, one of several sealed together to make the hull of a boat or the body of a container such as a barrel
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2. rung or bar of wood: a bar or strip of wood or other material, especially one that forms a rung in a ladder or a crosspiece between the legs of a chair
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3. music
Same as staff1n (sense 9)
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4. literature poetry stanza: a stanza of poetry
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verb (past staved or stove [ stōv ], past participle staved, present participle stav·ing, 3rd person present singular staves) |
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| Definition: |
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1. transitive and intransitive verb break staves: to break a barrel, a tub, or a boat's hull by smashing its staves in, or break by having the staves smashed in
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2. transitive and intransitive verb break hole in object: to smash a hole in the side of a boat or a barrel, or be smashed in this way
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3. transitive verb break something inward: to strike something such as a door or a rib and make it break inward
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4. transitive verb fit stave to something: to fit a stave to something such as a chair or a ladder
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| [14th century. Back-formation < staves, plural of staff1] |
