staple
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staple¹
- /ˈsteɪ.pəl/ UK, US
Rhymes with -eɪpəl
Where it comes from
From Middle English staple, from Anglo-Norman estaple, Old French estaple (“market, (trading) post”), from Late Latin stapula, from Frankish *stapul, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *stapulaz (“post”), from Proto-Indo-European *stebʰ- (“post, stem”). Compare staff. Doublet of étape and etymology 2.
noun staples
- A town containing merchants who have exclusive right, under royal authority, to purchase or produce certain goods for export; also, the body of such merchants seen as a group. The customs of Alexandria were very great, it having been the staple of the Indian trade.
- Place of supply; source. Whitehall naturally became the chief staple of news. Whenever there was a rumour that anything important had happened or was about to happen, people hastened thither to obtain intelligence from the fountain head.
- The principal commodity produced in a town or region. The old staple of coal is a declining traffic; and what remains tends to be hauled a shorter distance, as new power stations are sited closer to coalfields.
- A basic or essential supply. Rice is a staple in the diet of many cultures.
- A recurring topic, character, or item. Lurid stories are a staple of tabloid journalism.
- Short fiber, as of cotton, sheep’s wool, or the like, which can be spun into yarn or thread. Tow is flax with short staple.
- Unmanufactured material; raw material.
verb staples · stapling · stapled
- To sort according to its staple. to staple cotton
adjective
- Relating to, or being market of staple for, commodities. a staple town
- Established in commerce; occupying the markets; settled. a staple trade
- Fit to be sold; marketable. What needy writer would not solicit to work under such masters, who will pay us beforehand, take off as much of our ware as we please, at our own rates, and trouble not themselves to examine, either before or after they have bought it, whether it be staple, or not.
- Regularly produced or manufactured in large quantities; belonging to wholesale traffic; principal; chief. wool, the great staple commodity of England
staple²
- /ˈsteɪ.pəl/ UK, US
Rhymes with -eɪpəl
Where it comes from
From Middle English stapel (“staple, pillar, post”), from Old English stapol (“post, pillar”), from Proto-West Germanic *stapul, from Proto-Germanic *stapulaz, from Proto-Indo-European *stebʰ- (“post, stem”).
See also Old English steppan (“to step”) and Old French estaple (“post”). Consider also stapes (“stirrup”), from Latin. Doublet of étape and etymology 1.
noun staples
- A wire fastener, made of thin wire, used to secure stacks of paper by penetrating all the sheets and curling around. They stapled the documents with an office stapler, putting a staple in the top left corner of each one.
- A wire fastener, in any of various sizes, used to secure something else by penetrating and curling. They stapled the housewrap with a staple gun firing large staples.
- A U-shaped wire fastener, made of thick wire, used to attach fence wire or other material to posts or structures. The rancher used staples to attach the barbed wire to the fence posts.
- One of a set of U-shaped metal rods hammered into a structure, such as a piling or wharf, which serve as a ladder. Fortunately, there were staples in the quay wall, and she was able to climb out of the water.
- A metal loop used to fasten doors in conjunction with a hasp and a padlock.
- A shaft, smaller and shorter than the principal one, joining different levels.
- A small pit.
- A district granted to an abbey. [Henry II] also granted liberty of coyning to certain Cities and Abbies, allowing them one staple and two puncheons at a rate, with certain restrictions.
- A post; prop; support
verb staples · stapling · stapled
- To secure with a staple.
Staple³
Where it comes from
From Middle English stapel (“staple”).
proper noun Staples
- A village and civil parish in Dover district, Kent, England (OS grid ref TR2756).
- A habitational surname from Middle English.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: raw material, basic, essential, commodity, base, basis, fundamental, baseline, principal, primary, main, everyday, dashed, dotted, synthetic, discrete
Translations
Every language
noun the principal commodity produced in a town or region
| Italiano | materia prima |
|---|
noun basic or essential supply
| Español | producto principal |
|---|---|
| Français | production principale |
| Deutsch | Ausgangsmaterial, Grundversorgung |
| Italiano | prodotto di base |
noun basic food
| Español | alimento básico, alimento de primera necesidad |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 주식 jusik |
| 中文 | 主食 zhǔshí |
| हिन्दी | प्रमुख खाद्य pramukh khādya |
| Français | aliment de base |
| Deutsch | Grundnahrungsmittel |
| Italiano | alimento base |
| Русский | основно́й проду́кт пита́ния osnovnój prodúkt pitánija |
noun wire fastener used to secure stacks of paper
| Español | grapa, corchete, presilla, grampa |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 스테이플 seuteipeul |
| 日本語 | ステープル sutēpuru |
| 中文 | 訂書釘 /订书钉 dìngshūdīng, 訂書針 /订书针 dìngshūzhēn |
| Português | grampo |
| Français | agrafe |
| Deutsch | Heftklammer |
| Italiano | graffetta |
| Ελληνικά | συνδετήρας syndetíras |
| Română | capsă |
| Русский | скре́пка skrépka, скоба́ skobá |
| Tiếng Việt | ghim |
| עברית | סִיכָּה sika |
noun wire fastener in general
| Français | agrafe |
|---|
Talk about this word "staple." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/staple. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. staple. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/staple "staple." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/staple.Cite this
@misc{staple_2026,
title = {staple},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/staple},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
