'Staple' definitions:
Definition of 'staple'
(from WordNet)
adjective
Necessary or important, especially regarding food or commodities; "wheat is a staple crop"
noun
(usually plural) a necessary commodity for which demand is constant [syn: basic, staple]
noun
A natural fiber (raw cotton, wool, hemp, flax) that can be twisted to form yarn; "staple fibers vary widely in length" [syn: staple, staple fiber, staple fibre]
noun
Material suitable for manufacture or use or finishing [syn: raw material, staple]
noun
A short U-shaped wire nail for securing cables
noun
Paper fastener consisting of a short length of U-shaped wire that can fasten papers together
verb
Secure or fasten with a staple or staples; "staple the papers together" [ant: unstaple]
Definition of 'Staple'
From: GCIDE
- Staple \Sta"ple\ (st[=a]"p'l), n. [AS. stapul, stapol, stapel, a step, a prop, post, table, fr. stapan to step, go, raise; akin to D. stapel a pile, stocks, emporium, G. stapela heap, mart, stake, staffel step of a ladder, Sw. stapel, Dan. stabel, and E. step; cf. OF. estaple a mart, F. ['e]tape. See Step.]
- 1. A settled mart; an emporium; a city or town to which merchants brought commodities for sale or exportation in bulk; a place for wholesale traffic. [1913 Webster]
- The customs of Alexandria were very great, it having been the staple of the Indian trade. --Arbuthnot. [1913 Webster]
- For the increase of trade and the encouragement of the worthy burgesses of Woodstock, her majesty was minded to erect the town into a staple for wool. --Sir W. Scott. [1913 Webster]
- Note: In England, formerly, the king's staple was established in certain ports or towns, and certain goods could not be exported without being first brought to these places to be rated and charged with the duty payable to the king or the public. The principal commodities on which customs were levied were wool, skins, and leather; and these were originally the staple commodities. [1913 Webster]
- 2. Hence: Place of supply; source; fountain head. [1913 Webster]
- Whitehall naturally became the chief staple of news. Whenever there was a rumor that any thing important had happened or was about to happen, people hastened thither to obtain intelligence from the fountain head. --Macaulay. [1913 Webster]
- 3. The principal commodity of traffic in a market; a principal commodity or production of a country or district; as, wheat, maize, and cotton are great staples of the United States. [1913 Webster]
- We should now say, Cotton is the great staple, that is, the established merchandise, of Manchester. --Trench. [1913 Webster]
- 4. The principal constituent in anything; chief item. [1913 Webster]
- 5. Unmanufactured material; raw material. [1913 Webster]
- 6. The fiber of wool, cotton, flax, or the like; as, a coarse staple; a fine staple; a long or short staple. [1913 Webster]
- 7. A loop of metal such as iron, or a bar or wire, bent and formed with two points to be driven into wood, to hold a hook, pin, or the like. [1913 Webster]
- 8. Specifically: A small loop of metal such as steel, bent into a U-shape with the points sharpened, used to fasten sheets of paper together by driving the staple[8] through the stacked sheets and into a formed receptacle which curls the ends in and backward, thus holding the papers firmly together; also, a similar, slightly larger such fastener which may be driven into wood to fasten objects to a wooden backing. [1913 Webster]
- 9. (Mining) (a) A shaft, smaller and shorter than the principal one, joining different levels. (b) A small pit. [1913 Webster]
- 10. A district granted to an abbey. [Obs.] --Camden. [1913 Webster]
Definition of 'Staple'
From: GCIDE
- Staple \Sta"ple\, a.
- 1. Pertaining to, or being a market or staple for, commodities; as, a staple town. [R.] [1913 Webster]
- 2. Established in commerce; occupying the markets; settled; as, a staple trade. --Dryden. [1913 Webster]
- 3. Fit to be sold; marketable. [R.] --Swift. [1913 Webster]
- 4. Regularly produced or manufactured in large quantities; belonging to wholesale traffic; principal; chief. [1913 Webster]
- Wool, the great staple commodity of England. --Hallam. [1913 Webster]
Definition of 'staple'
From: GCIDE
Synonyms of 'staple'
From: Moby Thesaurus
- anchored,
- article,
- article of commerce,
- article of merchandise,
- articulate,
- auto show,
- basic,
- basics,
- batten,
- batten down,
- bazaar,
- boat show,
- body,
- bolt,
- bonanza,
- buckle,
- bulk,
- butt,
- button,
- catalog goods,
- chief,
- clasp,
- cleat,
- clip,
- commercial complex,
- commodities,
- commodity,
- consumer goods,
- consumer items,
- conventional,
- core,
- cornucopia,
- corpus,
- critical,
- customary,
- dovetail,
- drug,
- effects,
- elementary,
- emporium,
- essential,
- essentials,
- exposition,
- eye,
- fair,
- fastened,
- feature,
- fixed,
- flea fair,
- flea market,
- font,
- fount,
- fountain,
- fundamental,
- fundamentals,
- gold mine,
- goods,
- goods for sale,
- habitual,
- hasp,
- hinge,
- hitch,
- hook,
- indispensable,
- inventory,
- item,
- jam,
- job lot,
- joint,
- latch,
- lead item,
- leader,
- line,
- line of goods,
- lock,
- lode,
- loss leader,
- mail-order goods,
- main,
- market,
- market overt,
- marketplace,
- mart,
- mass,
- material resources,
- materials,
- materiel,
- merchandise,
- mine,
- miter,
- mortise,
- nail,
- necessary,
- necessities,
- normal,
- open market,
- ordinary,
- peg,
- pin,
- plaza,
- prevailing,
- primary,
- principal,
- product,
- quarry,
- rabbet,
- raw material,
- required,
- requisite,
- resource,
- rialto,
- ring,
- rivet,
- riveted,
- scarf,
- screw,
- seconds,
- set,
- settled,
- sew,
- shopping center,
- shopping mall,
- shopping plaza,
- show,
- sideline,
- skewer,
- snap,
- source,
- source of supply,
- special,
- spring,
- standard,
- standard article,
- staple item,
- staples,
- stated,
- stick,
- stitch,
- stock,
- stock-in-trade,
- store,
- street market,
- stuff,
- substance,
- substances,
- supply,
- tack,
- toggle,
- trade fair,
- universal,
- usual,
- vein,
- vendible,
- vendibles,
- vital,
- ware,
- wares,
- wedge,
- well,
- wellspring,
- zipper