[ˈsteɪpl], (Noun)

Definitions:
- a piece of thin wire with two short right-angled end pieces which are driven by a stapler through sheets of paper to fasten them together


Phrases:

Origin:
Old English stapol, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch stapel ‘pillar’ (a sense reflected in English in early use)

[ˈsteɪpl], (Verb)

Definitions:
- attach or secure with a staple or staples
(e.g: Merrill stapled a batch of papers together)


Phrases:

Origin:
Old English stapol, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch stapel ‘pillar’ (a sense reflected in English in early use)

[ˈsteɪpl], (Noun)

Definitions:
- a main or important element of something
(e.g: bread, milk, and other staples)

- the fibre of cotton or wool considered with regard to its length and degree of fineness
(e.g: jackets made from long-staple Egyptian cotton)

- a centre of trade, especially in a specified commodity
(e.g: proposals were made for a wool staple at Pisa)


Phrases:

Origin:
Middle English (in staple): from Old French estaple ‘market’, from Middle Low German, Middle Dutch stapel ‘pillar, emporium’; related to staple

[ˈsteɪpl], (Adjective)

Definitions:
- main or important, especially in terms of consumption
(e.g: the staple foods of the poor)


Phrases:

Origin:
Middle English (in staple): from Old French estaple ‘market’, from Middle Low German, Middle Dutch stapel ‘pillar, emporium’; related to staple