51Թ

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View synonyms for

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)

stapled, stapling.
  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)

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

staple

1

/ ˈٱɪə /

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
“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

verb

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

staple

2

/ ˈٱɪə /

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
“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

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
“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

verb

  1. tr to arrange or sort (wool, cotton, etc) according to length and fineness
“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
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51Թ 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 “fdzܲԻ岹پDz,” German Stapel ‼,” Old Norse ǫܱ ‼”

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
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51Թ 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
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Italian-American immigrants often had more money than they had back home, and they began to make these celebratory dishes more regularly — turning once-rare treats into weekend, and eventually weeknight, staples.

From

In recent years, the humble food has become an online trend — and a dinner staple, especially amongst younger consumers.

From

Existential inquiry is an artistic staple, but typically it tends toward big gestures and grand declarations — see extravagant and flamboyant Abstract Expressionist paintings of the late-1940s and 1950s for examples.

From

Beyond bringing their high energy levels and rowdy sounds to the desert, they see their set as a way to honor their city and cement Shoreline Mafia as a staple in L.A. hip-hop.

From

What began as a Greek market in 1948 expanded to a full-fledged restaurant and community staple over decades.

From

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