Home › Words › C › cleystaffcleystaffcleystaff · noun — A bishop's crook or crosier.Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, cleystaff ranks #29,098 of 43,042 for Qualifying.EtymologyPerhaps from cley + staff, but ‘more probably’ (according to the OED) from cleek + staff.nounA bishop's crook or crosier.Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).Words closest in meaningBy meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.crosier 75% match — A staff with a hooked end similar to a shepherd's crook, or with a cross at the end, carried by an abbot, bishop, or archbishop as a symbol of office. vs cleystaff →crosiered 69% match — Bearing a crosier. vs cleystaff →kent 63% match — A shepherd's staff. vs cleystaff →sheephook 63% match — crook, a staff used by shepherds vs cleystaff →crummock 58% match — A staff with a crooked head or stem. vs cleystaff →cley 57% match — A claw. vs cleystaff →crosse 56% match — A lacrosse stick. vs cleystaff →cleché 55% match — Having ends which flare out (like a cross patté) before tapering back to a point (urdé). vs cleystaff →