FromMiddle High Germanstap,stab, fromOld High Germanstab, fromProto-West Germanic*stab.
Cognate withEnglishstaff,Dutchstaf,Swedishstav,Old Norsestafr. The meaningco-workers is secondary: in the German wordGeneralstab(“General Staff”) the meaning changed from the staff as a symbol of authority to the group of military officers and later to any group of co-workers.[1]
Stab m (strong,genitiveStabesorStabs,pluralStäbe,diminutiveStäbchen n)