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stave (stāv)
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n.
1.
a. A narrow strip of wood forming part of the sides of a barrel, tub, or similar structure.
b. One of the wooden planks in a stave wall.
2. A rung of a ladder or chair.
3. A staff or cudgel.
4. Music See staff1.
5. A set of verses; a stanza.
tr.v. staved or stove (stōv), stav·ing, staves
To crush or smash inward, often by making a hole. Often used with in: "The jetliner had staved in the south side of the structure. The plane had ripped a hole 150 feet wide" (Bill Sammon).
Phrasal Verb:
stave off
To keep or hold off; repel: "For 12 years, we've sought to stave off this ultimate threat of disaster" (New York Times).
[Back-formation from staves, pl. of STAFF1.]
(click for a larger image)
stave
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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