stave

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stave /st'eɪv/ (staves staving staved)
1 [N-COUNT]
A stave is a strong stick, especially one that is used as a weapon.
Many of the men had armed themselves with staves and pieces of iron.
= staff
2 [N-COUNT]
A stave is the five lines that music is written on. (mainly BRIT; in AM, use staff)stave off
[PHRASAL VERB] V P n (not pron), V n P
If you stave off something bad, or if you stave it off, you succeed in stopping it happening for a while.
In a desperate attempt to stave off defeat, he reluctantly promised wholesale reform of the constitution...
But the reality of discovery was a different matter, and he did all he could to stave it off.

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