staple

[ stey-puh l ]

/ ˈsteɪ pəl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR staple ON THESAURUS.COM

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.

Nearby words

Origin of staple

before 900; Middle English stapel orig., support, post, Old English stapol; cognate with Middle Dutch stapel foundation, German Stapel pile, Old Norse stǫpull pillar

Definition for staple (2 of 2)

staple

[ stey-puh l ]

/ ˈsteɪ pəl /

noun

a principal raw material or commodity grown or manufactured in a locality.

a principal commodity in a mercantile field; goods in steady demand or of known or recognized quality.

a basic or necessary item of food: She bought flour, sugar, salt, and other staples.

a basic or principal item, thing, feature, element, or part: Cowboy dramas are a staple on television.

the fiber of wool, cotton, flax, rayon, etc., considered with reference to length and fineness.

Textiles. a standard length of textile fibers, representing the average of such fibers taken collectively, as short-staple or long-staple cotton.

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

chief or prominent among the products exported or produced by a country or district; chiefly or largely dealt in or consumed.

basic, chief, or principal: staple industries.

principally used: staple subjects of conversation.

verb (used with object), sta·pled, sta·pling.

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

Origin of staple

1375–1425; late Middle English: place where merchants have trading rights < Middle Dutch stapel

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for staple

Tor, on the other hand, has been an Internet staple for years.
The Attack on the Hidden Internet|Marc Rogers|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The talk radio phenom and Fox News staple has identified himself as a longtime listener of the TRN patriarch.
The Godfather of Right-Wing Radio|Caitlin Dickson|November 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Erectile dysfunction jokes have become a staple for comedy in the last 15 years.
Laughter Will Be the Legacy of Viagra|Samantha Allen|October 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Soon enough the young crowd began to notice the drink that has now become a staple.
In Japan, Zima Haz No Zexual Preference|Jake Adelstein, Angela Erika Kubo|September 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The pendulum swing between moods and tone, however, became a staple of the shoot.
How Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig Pulled Off Their Most Dramatic Roles Yet|Kevin Fallon|September 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The door was hasped, with a crook let into a staple so that it might, if necessary, be padlocked.
In the Roar of the Sea|Sabine Baring-Gould
The East, with rival routes and less dependence on staple interests, saw it less clearly.
The New Nation|Frederic L. Paxson
The young Chieftain thrust the point of his dagger between the bolt and the staple, and pressed on it.
The Freebooters|Gustave Aimard
Very few carpenters make their own, as they are staple articles coming in standard sizes.
Carpentry and Woodwork|Edwin W. Foster
It is also the standard pasture for swine where it can be grown, and where alfalfa is not a staple crop.
Clovers and How to Grow Them|Thomas Shaw

British Dictionary definitions for staple (1 of 2)

staple

/ (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)

staple

/ (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

a staple commodity

a main constituent; integral part

mainly US and Canadian a principal raw material produced or grown in a region

the fibre of wool, cotton, etc, graded as to length and fineness

(in medieval Europe) a town appointed to be the exclusive market for one or more major exports of the land

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 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for staple (1 of 2)

staple

n.1

"bent piece of metal with pointed ends," late 13c., from Old English stapol "post, pillar," from Proto-Germanic *stapulaz "pillar" (cf. Old Frisian stapul "stem of a tooth," Middle Low German stapel "block for executions," German Stapel "stake, beam"), from PIE stebh- (see staff (n.)).

Meaning "piece of thin wire driven through papers to hold them together" is attested from 1895. How this evolved into the modern fastening device is unclear, and it may not be the same word.

Word Origin and History for staple (1 of 2)

staple

n.2

"principal article grown or made in a country or district," early 15c., "official market for some class of merchandise," from Anglo-French (14c.), from Old French estaple "market," from a Germanic source akin to Middle Low German stapol, Middle Dutch stapel "market," from the same source as staple (n.1), the notion being of market stalls behind pillars of an arcade, or else of a raised platform where the king's deputies administered judgment. The sense of "principle article grown or made in a place" is 1610s, short for staple ware "wares and goods from a market" (early 15c.).

staple

noun

verb (used with object), sta·pled, sta·pling.

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of staple

Definition for staple (2 of 2)

staple

noun

adjective

verb (used with object), sta·pled, sta·pling.

Origin of staple

Examples from the Web for staple

British Dictionary definitions for staple (1 of 2)

staple

noun

verb

Word Origin for staple

British Dictionary definitions for staple (2 of 2)

staple

adjective

noun

verb

Word Origin for staple

Word Origin and History for staple (1 of 2)

staple

Word Origin and History for staple (1 of 2)

staple