noun
- the chief commodity, or any of the most important commodities, made, grown, or sold in a particular place, region, country, etc.
- a chief item, part, material, or element in anything
- any chief item of trade, regularly stocked and in constant demand: flour, sugar, and salt are staples
- the fiber of cotton, wool, flax, etc., with reference to length and fineness
Origin:
ME stapel < OFr estaple < MDu stapel, mart, emporium, post, orig. support, akin to staple
transitive verb stapled, stapling
to sort (wool, cotton, etc.) according to the nature of its staple