staff \staff\ st.af, n.; pl. staves st=avz or
   staumvz; 277 or staffs st.afs in senses 1-9,
   staffs in senses 10, 11. as. staef a staff; akin to lg. 
   d. staf, ofries. stef, g. stab, icel. stafr, sw. staf, dan.
   stav, goth. stabs element, rudiment, skr. sth=apay to cause
   to stand, to place. see stand, and cf. stab, stave, n.
   1. a long piece of wood; a stick; the long handle of an
      instrument or weapon; a pole or stick, used for many
      purposes; as, a surveyor's staff; the staff of a spear or
      pike.
      1913 webster

            and he put the staves into the rings on the sides of
            the altar to bear it withal.          --ex. xxxviii.
                                                  7.
      1913 webster

            with forks and staves the felon to pursue. --dryden.
      1913 webster

   2. a stick carried in the hand for support or defense by a
      person walking; hence, a support; that which props or
      upholds. "hooked staves." --piers plowman.
      1913 webster

            the boy was the very staff of my age. --shak.
      1913 webster

            he spoke of it beer in "the earnest cry," and
            likewise in the "scotch drink," as one of the staffs
            of life which had been struck from the poor man's
            hand.                                 --prof.
                                                  wilson.
      1913 webster

   3. a pole, stick, or wand borne as an ensign of authority; a
      badge of office; as, a constable's staff.
      1913 webster

            methought this staff, mine office badge in court,
            was broke in twain.                   --shak.
      1913 webster

            all his officers brake their staves; but at their
            return new staves were delivered unto them.
                                                  --hayward.
      1913 webster

   4. a pole upon which a flag is supported and displayed.
      1913 webster

   5. the round of a ladder. r.
      1913 webster

            i ascended at one ladder of six hundred and
            thirty-nine staves.                   --dr. j.
                                                  campbell e.
                                                  brown's
                                                  travels.
      1913 webster

   6. a series of verses so disposed that, when it is concluded,
      the same order begins again; a stanza; a stave.
      1913 webster

            cowley found out that no kind of staff is proper for
            an heroic poem, as being all too lyrical. --dryden.
      1913 webster

   7. mus. the five lines and the spaces on which music is
      written; -- formerly called stave.
      1913 webster

   8. mech. an arbor, as of a wheel or a pinion of a watch.
      1913 webster

   9. surg. the grooved director for the gorget, or knife,
      used in cutting for stone in the bladder.
      1913 webster

   10. from staff, 3, a badge of office. mil. an
       establishment of officers in various departments attached
       to an army, to a section of an army, or to the commander
       of an army. the general's staff consists of those
       officers about his person who are employed in carrying
       his commands into execution. see 'etat major.
       1913 webster

   11. hence: a body of assistants serving to carry into effect
       the plans of a superintendent or manager; sometimes used
       for the entire group of employees of an enterprise,
       excluding the top management; as, the staff of a
       newspaper.
       1913 webster +pjc

   jacob's staff surv., a single straight rod or staff,
      pointed and iron-shod at the bottom, for penetrating the
      ground, and having a socket joint at the top, used,
      instead of a tripod, for supporting a compass.

   staff angle arch., a square rod of wood standing flush
      with the wall on each of its sides, at the external angles
      of plastering, to prevent their being damaged.

   the staff of life, bread. "bread is the staff of life."
      --swift.

   staff tree bot., any plant of the genus celastrus,
      mostly climbing shrubs of the northern hemisphere. the
      american species celastrus scandens is commonly called
      bittersweet. see 2d bittersweet, 3
       b .

   to set up one's staff, to put up one's staff, to set
   down one's staff or to put down one's staff, to take up
      one's residence; to lodge. obs.
      1913 webster
see also:
staves staffs stand stab stave stave 
staff 'etat major jacob's staff staff angle the staff of life 
staff tree celastrus celastrus scandens bittersweet bittersweet 
to set up one's staff to put up one's staff to set down one's staff to put down one's staff 

waxwork \wax"work`\, n.
   1. work made of wax; especially, a figure or figures formed
      or partly of wax, in imitation of real beings.
      1913 webster

   2. bot. an american climbing shrub celastrus scandens.
      it bears a profusion of yellow berrylike pods, which open
      in the autumn, and display the scarlet coverings of the
      seeds.
      1913 webster
see also:
celastrus scandens 

bittersweet \bit"tersweet`\, n.
   1. anything which is bittersweet.
      1913 webster

   2. a kind of apple so called. --gower.
      1913 webster

   3. bot.
      a a climbing shrub, with oval coral-red berries
          solanum dulcamara; woody nightshade. the whole
          plant is poisonous, and has a taste at first sweetish
          and then bitter. the branches are the officinal
          dulcamara.
      b an american woody climber celastrus scandens,
          whose yellow capsules open late in autumn, and
          disclose the red aril which covers the seeds; -- also
          called roxbury waxwork.
          1913 webster
see also:
solanum dulcamara dulcamara celastrus scandens roxbury waxwork 

celastrus scandens
     n : twining shrub of north america having three-valved yellow
         capsules enclosing scarlet seeds syn: bittersweet, american
         bittersweet, climbing bittersweet, false bittersweet,
          staff vine, waxwork
see also:
bittersweet american bittersweet climbing bittersweet false bittersweet staff vine waxwork