flag staff

English

Noun

flag staff (countable and uncountable, plural flag staffs or flag staves)

1. Alternative form of flagstaff
   • 1841, Abel Flint, George Gillet, A system of geometry and trigonometry, page 104:

     The flag staves should be as much as two and a half or three inches in diameter, or what would be better, two strips of a board of that width, and seven or eight feet in length.

   • 2013, David Cordingly, Billy Ruffian:

     She is depicted with huge flags flying from temporary flag staffs above her newly completed hull: the red ensign flies at her stern, a small union flag at her bows;

   • 2014, John Frederick Dennett, The Voyages and Travels of Captains Ross, Parry, Franklin, and Mr. Belzoni, page 34:

     Mr. Fife's party consisted of himself and six men; and after they had wandered for three days they observed the flag staff at a great distance.

2. A flag officer and his staff.
   • 2013, Jean Moulin, French Cruisers, 1922–1956:

     The conning tower was a relatively compact space, with curved walls to provide maximum strength, so it could accommodate only a handful of picked staff to support the Captain and, if flag staff were embarked, the Admiral.

   • 2014, Taylor Anderson, Deadly Shores, page 184:

     They and a large percentage of the flag staff were standing on Maaka-Kakja 's spacious port bridge-wing while aircraft were trundled across the flight deck on launching trucks that would be hooked to the hydraulic catapults.

   • 2014, Ken Jones, Hubert Kelly Jr., Admiral Arleigh (31-Knot) Burke:

     Thirteen of the flag staff were dead, including three officers and ten enlisted men.

Usage notes

The plural flag staves applies only to the flagstaff, and not to the staff of a flag officer.