Added 9 October 2026
staff
/stɑːf/ noun
In Latin: baculum, scīpiō Wiktionary
noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about staff at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
-
Personnel who assist their superior in carrying out an assigned task.
the hospital has an excellent nursing staff
-
A strong rod or stick with a specialized utilitarian purpose.
he walked with the help of a wooden staff
-
The body of teachers and administrators at a school.
the dean addressed the letter to the entire staff of the university
verb
Origin
From Middle English staf, from Old English stæf (“letter of the alphabet”), from Proto-West Germanic *stab, from Proto-Germanic *stabaz. Cognate with Dutch staf, German Stab, Danish stav, Swedish stav. Sense of "group of military officers that assists a commander" and similar meanings, attested from 1702, is influenced by or is even from German Stab.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)