1. (

• staff ,

) 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" ;

2. (

• staff

) a strong rod or stick with a specialized utilitarian purpose; "he walked with the help of a wooden staff" ;

3. (

• staff ,
• faculty

) the body of teachers and administrators at a school; "the dean addressed the letter to the entire staff of the university" ;

4. (

• staff

) building material consisting of plaster and hair; used to cover external surfaces of temporary structure (as at an exposition) or for decoration ;

5. (

• staff ,

) a rod carried as a symbol ;

6. (

• staff ,
• stave

) (music) the system of five horizontal lines on which the musical notes are written ;

1. (

• staff

) provide with staff; "This position is not always staffed" ;

2. (

• staff ,

) serve on the staff of; "The two men staff the reception desk" ;