staple

¹

[ stey-puhl ]

noun

1. a short piece of wire bent so as to bind together papers, sections of a book, or the like, by driving the ends through the sheets and clinching them on the other side.
2. a similar, often U -shaped piece of wire or metal with pointed ends for driving into a surface to hold a hasp, hook, pin, bolt, wire, or the like.

verb (used with object)

, sta·pled, sta·pling.

1. to secure or fasten by a staple or staples:

   to staple three sheets together.

staple

²

[ stey-puhl ]

noun

1. a principal raw material or commodity grown or manufactured in a locality.
2. a principal commodity in a mercantile field; goods in steady demand or of known or recognized quality.
3. a basic or necessary item of food:

   She bought flour, sugar, salt, and other staples.

4. a basic or principal item, thing, feature, element, or part:

   Cowboy dramas are a staple on television.

5. the fiber of wool, cotton, flax, rayon, etc., considered with reference to length and fineness.
6. Textiles. a standard length of textile fibers, representing the average of such fibers taken collectively, as short-staple or long-staple cotton.
7. History/Historical. a town or place appointed by royal authority as the seat of a body of merchants having the exclusive right of purchase of certain classes of goods for export.

adjective

1. chief or prominent among the products exported or produced by a country or district; chiefly or largely dealt in or consumed.
2. basic, chief, or principal:

   staple industries.

3. principally used:

   staple subjects of conversation.

verb (used with object)

, sta·pled, sta·pling.

1. to sort or classify according to the staple or fiber, as wool.

staple

¹

/ ˈsteɪpəl /

noun

1. a short length of thin wire bent into a square U-shape, used to fasten papers, cloth, etc
2. a short length of stiff wire formed into a U-shape with pointed ends, used for holding a hasp to a post, securing electric cables, etc

verb

1. tr to secure (papers, wire, etc) with a staple or staples

staple

²

/ ˈsteɪpəl /

adjective

1. of prime importance; principal

   staple foods

2. (of a commodity) forming a predominant element in the product, consumption, or trade of a nation, region, etc

noun

1. a staple commodity
2. a main constituent; integral part
3. a principal raw material produced or grown in a region
4. the fibre of wool, cotton, etc, graded as to length and fineness
5. (in medieval Europe) a town appointed to be the exclusive market for one or more major exports of the land

verb

1. tr to arrange or sort (wool, cotton, etc) according to length and fineness

Word History and Origins

Origin of staple¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English stapel “support, stake, post,” Old English stapol “post, column”; cognate with Middle Dutch stapel “foundation,” German Stapel “pile,” Old Norse stǫpull “pillar”

Origin of staple²

First recorded in 1350–1400; late Middle English staple, stapel “official market where merchants have trading rights,” from Anglo-French staple, Old French estaple, from Medieval Latin stapula, staplus, from Middle Dutch stapel, stapol

Word History and Origins

Origin of staple¹

Old English stapol prop, of Germanic origin; related to Middle Dutch stapel step, Old High German staffal

Origin of staple²

C15: from Middle Dutch stapel warehouse; see staple ¹

Example Sentences

Farmers losing crops in many areas of southern China because of the floods has created a “severe challenge for self-sufficiency of staple grains.”

From Ozy

She’s got the obligatory sharp-cut, bad-gal bob and frosty demeanor we’ve come to expect from the villainous egomaniac’s character, or in this case, the staple scientist with a God complex.

From Singularity Hub 

Mars, the company behind Halloween staples like M&M’s and Snickers, starts its planning for the big day two years in advance.

From Fortune

With more plans for their upcoming summer collection, Gaydina believes this fabric is going to be one of the company’s staples.

From Ozy

Located in the South End, Club Café has been a staple of Boston nightlife since 1982.

From No Straight News

The head banquet man at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in New York City started serving the concoction as a menu staple in 1938.

From The Daily Beast

Tor, on the other hand, has been an Internet staple for years.

From The Daily Beast

The talk radio phenom and Fox News staple has identified himself as a longtime listener of the TRN patriarch.

From The Daily Beast

Cookie Monster has always been one of the most beloved features of that PBS childhood staple, Sesame Street.

From The Daily Beast

Erectile dysfunction jokes have become a staple for comedy in the last 15 years.

From The Daily Beast

Flax is a great staple of the North of Ireland, and three fourths of it is beaten flat to the earth.

From Project Gutenberg

It caught him full in the middle; he doubled like a staple and with a cry of pain toppled into the snow.

From Project Gutenberg

Coffee is the staple production, though Indian corn, mandioca and fruit are produced largely for local consumption.

From Project Gutenberg

In classical times wheat was the staple grain grown for food, not differing much from that which we use to-day.

From Project Gutenberg

Another use of mats is in the baling of two of the staple products of the Philippines, tobacco and abaca.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• predominant