Merriam-Webster's Collegiate® Dictionary, 11th Edition
STAVE
I. noun
Etymology: Middle English, back-formation from staves, plural of staf staff
Date: 13th century
staff I,1, any of the narrow strips of wood or narrow iron plates placed edge to edge to form the sides, covering, or lining of a vessel (as a barrel) or structure, stanza , staff I,3,
II. verb (staved or stove; staving)
Date: circa 1595
transitive verb to break in the staves of (a cask), to smash a hole in , to drive or thrust away, intransitive verb to become stove in, to walk or move rapidly