flag staff

noun flag staffs · flag staves

1. alternative, countable, uncountable Alternative form of flagstaff 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.
2. countable, uncountable A flag officer and his staff. 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.