Etymology

stave

S1T1A1V4E1

Today it means: One 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, barrel, pail, etc. Full definition →

First used 1540sGerman Stave ← Middle Low German Staf ← Norwegian Stave
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stave · noun, verb1

Back-formation from staves, the plural of staff.

Stave · proper noun2

  1. Polish · derived fromStaw
  2. Norwegian · borrowed fromStave
  3. Middle Low German · derived fromStaf“staff”
  4. German · borrowed fromStave
  5. English todayStave

Various origins: * Borrowed from North German Stave, an occupational surname for a judge or church official, from Middle Low German Staf (“staff”). * Borrowed from Norwegian Stave, a habitational surname from five farmsteads in the country. * Americanized form of Polish Staw, a Jewish Ashkenazi surname.

First known use, by meaning

  • from 1540s To fit or furnish with staves or rundles.
  • from 1590s To break in the staves of; to break a hole in; to burst.
  • from 1620s To push, or keep off, as with a staff.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.