acre-staffn.
/ˈeɪkəstɑːf/, /ˈeɪkəstaf/, U.S. /ˈeɪkərˌstæf/ Now historical.
A plough staff.
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the world > food and drink > farming > tools and implements > ploughing equipment > [noun] > plough-staff
acre-staffc1300
plough staffc1325
plough-batc1400
plough-potec1400
pattle1404
plough pattle1404
paddle1407
paddle-staff1583
pad-staff1650
sull-paddle1669
spade-staff1706
plough-spade1712
plough cleaner1850
wad-staff1856
wad-stick1889
c1300 All Souls (Laud) l. 182 in C. Horstmann Early S.-Eng. Legendary (1887) 425 (MED) Euer-ech with swuch-manere wepne ase huy uyseden here a-liue, plouȝ-Man with his Aker-staf.
c1350 Nominale (Cambr. Ee.4.20) in Trans. Philol. Soc. (1906) 26* Mallet et mundiloun, Betul and akirstaf.
1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Curette, a plough-staffe, or Aker-staffe (wherewith the cutter is cleansed).
1616 G. Markham tr. C. Estienne et al. Maison Rustique (rev. ed.) v. v. 532 The arker-staffe [sic] to cleanse the plow when it shall be loaden with earth or other vild matter.
1650 T. Fuller Pisgah-sight of Palestine ii. viii. 174 Let none turn their flailes, aker-staves, sheep-hooks, shuttles, needles, into swords, till first with Gedeon they have a warrant from God.
1784 R. Robinson Let. 26 May in G. Dyer Mem. Robert Robinson (1796) xiv. 210 Examined the shoulders, heels, traces, chaff, and corn of eight horses going to plough—mended the acre staff—cut some thongs, whip-corded the boys' plough whips.
1866 J. E. T. Rogers Hist. Agric. & Prices I. xxi. 539 The ploughman was provided with a pole shod with a flat iron, and called in later times an akerstaff.
1936 T. Hennell Change in Farm (ed. 2) vi. 60 In the eastern counties an acre-staff or a nine-foot gad was sometimes used to check accurately the breadth of the stitches, or land between the ridges.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2011; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
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n.c1300