noun / verb
staff
STAFF/stæf/
The employees of an organization, or to provide its workers.
The cafe staff includes a cook, server, and cleaner.
Etymology
A staff was a stick or rod, also carried as a badge of authority. The employee sense developed from “officers assisting a commander,” a use apparently modeled on German and linked to that baton of authority.
In context
A servant who fell sick in a smaller household, without other staff to cover for them, could find their position at risk, simply because the work still needed doing
More examples
- They staffed the desk with two volunteers.
- The hospital has staffed the new ward.
- Several staff members stayed late.
Forms
staff · staffs · staffed · staffing
Similar words
- personnel
- The people employed by an organization.
- workforce
- All workers considered collectively, sometimes across an industry.