STAVE
What does "STAVE" mean?
A narrow strip of wood forming part of a barrel, or the set of lines on which music is written.
Meanings
- One of the narrow shaped strips of wood forming the curved side of a barrel or tub. The cooper bent each stave over the fire to shape it.
- The set of five horizontal lines on which musical notes are written; a staff. He pencilled the melody onto the empty stave. technical
- A strong stick or rod, such as a rung of a ladder. He gripped the wooden stave to steady himself.
- To break a hole in something or smash it inward (often 'stave in'). The collision staved in the side of the boat.
- To ward off or delay (usually 'stave off'). A snack helped stave off her hunger until dinner.
Word origin
A back-formation from 'staves', the plural of 'staff', from Old English 'stæf', a stick or rod; the verb 'stave off' originally meant to keep off with a staff.
Remember it
STAVE = STAFF's cousin: both a wooden rod and the music staff, since 'staves' is the old plural of 'staff'.
A little poem
Five lines wait empty, patient as a fence;
the cooper's stave once held the wine, and now
this stave will hold the silence into sense.
tercet
Wordplay
- The barrel-maker became a composer because he was already great at writing staves.
What it teaches
The same plank can wall a barrel, rung a ladder, or carry a tune; use decides the meaning of the wood.
Quick facts
What does STAVE mean?
A narrow strip of wood forming part of a barrel, or the set of lines on which music is written.
Is STAVE a valid word?
Yes — STAVE is one of the answer words in Wordul, the daily word game.
How many letters is STAVE?
STAVE has 5 letters and 1 syllable.
Where does STAVE come from?
A back-formation from 'staves', the plural of 'staff', from Old English 'stæf', a stick or rod; the verb 'stave off' originally meant to keep off with a staff.
What can STAVE teach us?
The same plank can wall a barrel, rung a ladder, or carry a tune; use decides the meaning of the wood.
How players do
Be the first to solve it.