Definitions
1.nounOne of a number of narrow strips of wood, or narrow iron plates, placed edge to edge to form the sides, covering, or lining of a vessel or structure; especially, one of the strips which form the sides of a cask, a pail, etc.
2.nounOne of the bars or rounds of a rack, rungs of a ladder, etc; one of the cylindrical bars of a lantern wheel
3.nounA metrical portion; a stanza; a staff.
4.nounThe five horizontal and parallel lines on and between which musical notes are written or pointed; the staff.
5.nounA staff or walking stick.
6.nounA sign, symbol or sigil, including rune or rune-like characters, used in Icelandic magic.
7.verbTo fit or furnish with staves or rundles.
8.verb(usually with 'in') To break in the staves of; to break a hole in; to burst."to stave in a cask"
9.verb(with 'off') To push, or keep off, as with a staff.
10.verb(usually with 'off') To delay by force or craft; to drive away."We ate grass in an attempt to stave off our hunger."
11.verb(rare or archaic) To burst in pieces by striking against something.
12.verbTo walk or move rapidly.
13.verbTo suffer, or cause to be lost by breaking the cask.
14.verbTo render impervious or solid by driving with a calking iron."to stave lead, or the joints of pipes into which lead has been run"