Re: names of vertical spacing dimensions

[Wols Lists]

 On 12/10/10 23:45, Alexander Kobel wrote:
> On 2010-10-13 00:27, Wols Lists wrote:
>> Add "stave" to this. Actually, I would have defined a stave as a line of
>> music, and a system as a group of linked staves played simultaneously.
>> But that all depends on how you understand the word "line" :-)
>
> "Stave" or "staff"?!  Are these identical?  I thought "stave" is just
> a wrong singular form of "staves", which itself is the correct plural
> of "staff"?
> Merriam-Webster says nothing about these words in a musical context...
> :-(

In English (not necessarily music) the two words have different
overtones although they have the same basic meaning. A staff is a long
stick used for support when walking. A stave is pretty much the same
long stick (although often thicker) used for fighting or for supporting
things other than people. So when walking in dangerous territory, you
would prefer to use a stave for support rather than a staff because you
have a weapon if you need it.

Cheers,
Wol