Nearby Words
noun
1.
one of the thin, narrow, shaped pieces of wood that form the sides of a cask, tub, or similar vessel.
2.
a stick, rod, pole, or the like.
3.
a rung of a ladder, chair, etc.
4.
5.
Music. staff1 (def. 9).
verb (used with object)
6.
7.
to release (wine, liquor, etc.) by breaking the cask or barrel.
8.
to break or crush (something) inward (often followed by in).
9.
to break (a hole) in, especially in the hull of a boat.
10.
EXPANDto break to pieces; splinter; smash.
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Staving
is always a great word to know.
So is doohickey. Does it mean:
| a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc. |
| a gadget; dingus; thingumbob. |
verb (used without object)
Verb phrase13.
to become staved in, as a boat; break in or up.
14.
to move along rapidly.
15.
stave off,
a.
to put, ward, or keep off, as by force or evasion.
b.
to prevent in time; forestall: He wasn't able to stave off bankruptcy.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source
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Link To Staving
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
stave
"piece of a barrel," 1750, back-formation from staves (late 14c.), plural of staff (cf. leaves/leaf), possibly from O.E., but not recorded there. The verb (to stave in, past tense stove) is 1590s, originally nautical, on notion of bashing in the staves of a cask and letting
EXPANDout the contents; stave off (1620s) is lit. "keep off with a staff," as of dogs.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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