Meanings
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1
noun
one of the narrow strips of wood or metal fitted edge to edge to form a barrel or similar structure
The cooper replaced a cracked stave before sealing the barrel.
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2
verb
to drive or thrust something away; in the phrase stave off, to prevent or delay something unwanted
A strong pump may stave off flooding until the repair crew arrives.
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3
verb
to smash a hole in something or crush part of it inward
The floating timber could stave in the side of a small boat.
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4
noun
British: a set of five horizontal lines on which musical notes are written
The melody begins on the upper line of the stave.
Thesaurus
Etymology
From Middle English stave, a back-formation from staves, the old plural of staff. The noun developed specialized senses for wooden slats and a musical staff; the verbs preserve ideas of striking, breaking, or driving something away with a staff or stave.