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sta·ple¹

(stāpəl)

1. A principal raw material or commodity grown or produced in a region.

2. A major item of trade in steady demand.

3. A basic dietary item, such as flour, rice, or corn.

4. A basic or principal element or feature.

5. The fiber of cotton, wool, or flax, graded as to length and fineness.

adj.

1. Produced or stocked in large quantities to meet steady demand: Wheat is a staple crop.

2. Principal; main: a staple topic of conversation.

tr.v. sta·pled, sta·pling, sta·ples

To grade (fibers) according to length and fineness.

[Middle English, official market for purchase of export goods, from Anglo-Norman estaple, perhaps from Middle Dutch stāpel, heap, emporium.]

sta·ple²

(stāpəl)

1. A thin piece of wire shaped as three sides of a square so that it can be driven into thin or soft material, such as paper, and bent to function as a fastener.

2. A similarly shaped piece of metal with pointed ends, driven into a surface to secure a bolt, hook, hasp, or length of wiring.

tr.v. sta·pled, sta·pling, sta·ples

To secure or fasten by means of a staple or staples.

[Middle English, from Old English stapol, post, pillar.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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