Staff

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /stɑːf/

Definitions

1. A group of employees working together in an organization, or a long stick used for support or as a symbol of authority
2. A collective of individuals employed by an organization works alongside other members or a sturdy pole designed for assistance and representing power
3. A team of workers contributing to a company is similar to a long implement used for stability or a mark of leadership

Etymology: The modern sense of "staff" as a body of employees is a long way from its oldest meaning, which was simply a stick. The Old English "stæf" also meant a letter of the alphabet, a sense that survives in the plural "staves" for verses of a poem and in its connection to the idea of letters as marks on a staff of wood. The same root gave English "stave" and "staff" in the sense of a walking pole, and the word has always carried the idea of something that supports or directs. The sense of a group that assists a commander came into English around 1702, and it probably came from German "Stab", which had the same military meaning. A commander's staff of officers was, in effect, a body of people who carried out orders and supported leadership, much as a stick supports a walker. From there the word broadened to refer to any group of workers serving an organisation.

Synonyms: team, crew

Antonyms: management