personnel who assist their superior in carrying out an assigned task
"the hospital has an excellent nursing staff"
"the general relied on his staff to make routine decisions"
a strong rod or stick with a specialized utilitarian purpose
"he walked with the help of a wooden staff"
building material consisting of plaster and hair; used to cover external surfaces of temporary structure (as at an exposition) or for decoration
"The construction crew applied a layer of staff over the wooden framework before painting the new exhibition pavilion."
a rod carried as a symbol
"The king held his ceremonial staff high above his head to signal the start of the procession."
A long, straight, thick wooden rod or stick, especially one used to assist in walking.
"The doctor warned him that ignoring the infection could lead to a severe case of staph, not just a minor staff error in his chart."
Misspelling of staph.
In plain English: A staff is a group of people who work for an organization, such as teachers at a school or employees at a company.
"The hotel staff greeted every guest with a warm smile."
To supply (a business, volunteer organization, etc.) with employees or staff members.
"The new restaurant manager was hired to staff the kitchen before the busy summer season begins."
In plain English: To staff means to provide people to work at a place or event.
"The chef will staff the kitchen with three new assistants next week."
Usage: Use this verb when describing the act of hiring people to work in an organization rather than referring to physical tools like walking sticks. It is often confused with "staffing," which specifically refers to filling positions within a team.
The word staff comes from Old English stæf, which originally meant "letter of the alphabet." Its modern sense referring to a group of military officers was likely influenced by the German word Stab.