Other forms: staves
A stave is the five lines music is written on. Write it on the stave, above the stave, a blank stave.
American English says staff for the same thing, and both are the same word — stave was made backwards from staves, the plural of staff. A stave is also one of the shaped planks of a barrel, and to stave in is to smash. Note stave off, meaning to keep away, from fighting with a staff.
1nounstaveThe five lines music is written on.
“The music teacher drew a treble clef at the start of the stave.”
2nounshapedOne of the shaped planks of a barrel.
“The cooper bent each oak stave and fitted it into the barrel.”
stave is a set of lines, or a plank.
Also accepted in games: staff
A back-formation from staves, the plural of staff. The barrel plank and the musical lines are the same word.
Proto-Indo-European
*stebʰ-
English, today
stave
a back-formation from staves, the plural of staff.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA
Practised in Music & Instruments