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staple
1[ stey-puhl ]
/ ˈsteɪ pəl /
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This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
noun
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.
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.
to secure or fasten by a staple or staples: to staple three sheets together.
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Origin of staple
1First 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”
Words nearby staple
staphylinid, staphylo-, staphylococcus, staphyloplasty, staphylorrhaphy, staple, staple gun, stapler, stapling, star, star anise
Other definitions for staple (2 of 2)
staple2
[ stey-puhl ]
/ ˈsteɪ pəl /
noun
adjective
verb (used with object), sta·pled, sta·pling.
to sort or classify according to the staple or fiber, as wool.
Origin of staple
2First 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
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use staple in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for staple (1 of 2)
staple1
/ (ˈsteɪpəl) /
noun
a short length of thin wire bent into a square U-shape, used to fasten papers, cloth, etc
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
(tr) to secure (papers, wire, etc) with a staple or staples
Word Origin for staple
Old English stapol prop, of Germanic origin; related to Middle Dutch stapel step, Old High German staffal
British Dictionary definitions for staple (2 of 2)
staple2
/ (ˈsteɪpəl) /
adjective
of prime importance; principalstaple foods
(of a commodity) forming a predominant element in the product, consumption, or trade of a nation, region, etc
noun
verb
(tr) to arrange or sort (wool, cotton, etc) according to length and fineness
Word Origin for staple
C15: from Middle Dutch stapel warehouse; see staple 1
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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