stave
/steiv/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun:
- A narrow strip of wood forming part of the sides of a container: A stave is one of several thin, shaped pieces of wood that are fitted together to form the curved side of a barrel, cask, or similar vessel.
- A rung or crosspiece: A stave can be a horizontal support, such as a rung on a ladder or a crosspiece between the legs of a chair.
- A set of five parallel lines for musical notation: In music, a stave (also called a staff) is the set of five horizontal lines and four spaces on which musical notes are written.
Verb:
- To break or crush something inwards: To stave means to burst, force a hole into, or crush something, especially the side of a hollow object like a barrel or boat.
- To fit or furnish with staves: To stave means to make or provide something (like a barrel) with the narrow strips of wood that form its sides.
- To break a hole in a ladder's rung: This is a specific use meaning to break a rung (a stave) of a ladder.
Usage Examples
Noun:
- The cooper replaced a cracked stave in the old wine barrel.
- He carefully climbed, making sure each stave of the ladder could hold his weight.
- The composer wrote the melody on the treble stave.
Verb:
- The collision staved in the hull of the small boat.
- The artisan staved the oak to create a watertight cask.
- Be careful not to stave that ladder when you move it.
Advanced Usage
"to stave in": To crush or break something inwards, creating a hole or dent.
- The falling rock staved in the roof of the car.
"to stave off": (Phrasal Verb) To delay or prevent something bad from happening, often with effort.
- She drank soup to stave off a cold.
- The company took loans to stave off bankruptcy.
Variants and Related Words
- Staff (noun): The more common term for the set of five lines in musical notation. "Stave" is a variant, especially in British English.
- Staved, stove (verb): Both "staved" and "stove" are accepted as the past tense and past participle of the verb "stave," particularly in the context of breaking in (e.g., ).
Synonyms
- Noun (strip of wood): Slat, plank, strip.
- Noun (rung): Rung, crosspiece, step.
- Verb (break in): Breach, smash, crush, rupture.
Related Phrasal Verbs
- Stave off: To ward off, avert, or keep at bay.
- They staved off hunger by eating berries.
Related Idioms
- To stave in one's head: An archaic or literary expression meaning to crush someone's skull.
- The villain threatened to stave in his head with a club.
Noun
- a crosspiece between the legs of a chair
- one of several thin slats of wood forming the sides of a barrel or bucket
- (music) the system of five horizontal lines on which the musical notes are written
Verb
- burst or force (a hole) into something
- furnish with staves
- stave a ladder