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Webster 1913 Edition

Noun.

;

pl.

Bedstaves

“A wooden pin stuck anciently on the sides of the bedstead, to hold the clothes from slipping on either side.”

Johnson.

Hostess, accommodate us with a

bedstaff

B. Jonson.

Say there is no virtue in cudgels and

bedstaves

Brome.

Noun.

[bed and staff.] A wooden pin anciently inserted on the sides of bedsteads, to keep the clothes from slipping on either side.

bedstaff ‎(plural bedstaffs or bedstaves)

(obsolete) A wooden pin stuck on the sides of a bedstead, to prevent the bedclothes from slipping on either side.
- Ben Jonson
  Hostess, accommodate us with a bedstaff.
- Brome
  Say there is no virtue in cudgels and bedstaves.