Staff of office

Staff of office

A staff of office is a staff, the carrying of which often denotes an official's position, a social rank or a degree of social prestige.

Church sidesmen or dodsmen bear sticks or rods or wands of office; bishops may wield their croziers or crooks; monarchs often have a sceptre signifying their office. A gold- or silver-topped cane can express social standing (or dandyism). Teachers or prefects in schools traditionally carried less elaborate canes which marked their right (and potential threat) to administer canings, and military officers carry a residual threat of physical punishment in their swagger sticks. The conductors of orchestras have in their batons symbols of authority as well as tools of their trade.

There are offices which take their titles from their staff, such as the Black Rod and the Tipstaff. Compare corporate bodies' use of maces, and note Sigmund Freud's views on phallic symbolism.

ee also

*Ceremonial weapon


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Staff (military) — Staff office redirects here. For the ceremonial weapon, see staff of office. Not to be confused with Staff Corps Officer. Warfare Military history Eras …   Wikipedia

  • Office of the President of Croatia — Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia Agency overview Formed 19 January 1991 Headquarters Pantovčak 241 …   Wikipedia

  • Staff — (st[.a]f), n.; pl. {Staves} (st[=a]vz or st[aum]vz; 277) or {Staffs} (st[.a]fs) in senses 1 9, {Staffs} in senses 10, 11. [AS. st[ae]f a staff; akin to LG. & D. staf, OFries. stef, G. stab, Icel. stafr, Sw. staf, Dan. stav, Goth. stabs element,… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Staff angle — Staff Staff (st[.a]f), n.; pl. {Staves} (st[=a]vz or st[aum]vz; 277) or {Staffs} (st[.a]fs) in senses 1 9, {Staffs} in senses 10, 11. [AS. st[ae]f a staff; akin to LG. & D. staf, OFries. stef, G. stab, Icel. stafr, Sw. staf, Dan. stav, Goth.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Staff tree — Staff Staff (st[.a]f), n.; pl. {Staves} (st[=a]vz or st[aum]vz; 277) or {Staffs} (st[.a]fs) in senses 1 9, {Staffs} in senses 10, 11. [AS. st[ae]f a staff; akin to LG. & D. staf, OFries. stef, G. stab, Icel. stafr, Sw. staf, Dan. stav, Goth.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Staff — may refer to: * Staff (stick), a stick or pole to assist with walking, or sometimes used as a weapon * Staff (building material), artificial stone product used as ornament * Staff (music), a set of horizontal lines upon which notes are placed in… …   Wikipedia

  • Office of Inspector General, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services — Office of Inspector General (OIG), for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is charged with identifying and combating waste, fraud, and abuse in the HHS’s more than 300 programs, including Medicare and programs conducted by… …   Wikipedia

  • Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response — Agency overview Formed December, 2006 Preceding agency Office of Public Health Emergency Preparedness Agency executive Nicole Lurie, MD, MSPH, Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response Parent agency United States Department of Health and… …   Wikipedia

  • Office of the First Lady of the United States — First Lady of the United States Incumbent Michelle Obama since …   Wikipedia

  • staff — ▪ I. staff staff 1 [stɑːf ǁ stæf] noun staff PLURALFORM HUMAN RESOURCES [countable] the people who work for an organization or business: • We now employ a staff of 25. • Every member of staff has strengths and weaknesses …   Financial and business terms

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”