Library / English Dictionary

STAPLE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

(usually in the plural) a necessary commodity for which demand is constant

Synonyms:

basic; staple

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("staple" is a kind of...):

commodity; good; trade good (articles of commerce)

Domain usage:

plural; plural form (the form of a word that is used to denote more than one)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Paper fastener consisting of a short length of U-shaped wire that can fasten papers together

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("staple" is a kind of...):

paper fastener (a fastener for holding a sheet of paper in place)

Derivation:

staple (secure or fasten with a staple or staples)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A short U-shaped wire nail for securing cables

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("staple" is a kind of...):

nail (a thin pointed piece of metal that is hammered into materials as a fastener)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Material suitable for manufacture or use or finishing

Synonyms:

raw material; staple

Classified under:

Nouns denoting substances

Hypernyms ("staple" is a kind of...):

material; stuff (the tangible substance that goes into the makeup of a physical object)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "staple"):

feedstock (the raw material that is required for some industrial process)

Sense 5

Meaning:

A natural fiber (raw cotton, wool, hemp, flax) that can be twisted to form yarn

Example:

staple fibers vary widely in length

Synonyms:

staple; staple fiber; staple fibre

Classified under:

Nouns denoting substances

Hypernyms ("staple" is a kind of...):

natural fiber; natural fibre (fiber derived from plants or animals)

 II. (adjective) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Necessary or important, especially regarding food or commodities

Example:

wheat is a staple crop

Classified under:

Adjectives

Similar:

essential (basic and fundamental)

 III. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Secure or fasten with a staple or staples

Example:

staple the papers together

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "staple" is one way to...):

fasten; fix; secure (cause to be firmly attached)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s something PP

Antonym:

unstaple (take the staples off)

Derivation:

staple (paper fastener consisting of a short length of U-shaped wire that can fasten papers together)

stapler (a machine that inserts staples into sheets of paper in order to fasten them together)

Credits

 Context examples: 

The epidemic form is found primarily in areas in which white (polished) rice is the staple food, as in Japan, China, the Philippines, India, and other countries of southeast Asia.

(Beri Beri, NLM, Medical Subject Headings)

Great rounds of beef, saddles of mutton, smoking tongues, veal and ham pies, turkeys and chickens, and geese, with every variety of vegetables, and a succession of fiery cherries and heavy ales were the main staple of the feast.

(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

The research backed with close to $10 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, ultimately aims to improve the nutritional content of bananas in Uganda, where the fruit is the major staple food in their daily diet.

(Golden Bananas High in Pro-Vitamin A Developed, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

Found in turmeric, curcumin is hailed as an anti-inflammatory with antioxidant properties, and it has also been suggested as a possible reason that senior citizens in India - where curcumin is somewhat of a staple - have lower rates of Alzheimer's disease and better cognitive performance.

(Daily Consumption of Turmeric Could Improve Memory, Mood, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

The Ross Sea - home to penguins, seals, Antarctic toothfish, whales and huge numbers of krill - a staple food for many species - is one of the last intact marine ecosystems in the world.

(Deal Reached to Create World's Largest Marine Reserve in Antarctica, VOA News)

“Most nutritious foods are expensive in low-income countries. Eggs and fresh milk, for example, are often ten times as expensive as starchy staples in caloric terms,” the study stated.

(High cost of healthy food to blame for malnutrition, SciDev.Net)

This knowledge can guide the development of an organic synthetic adhesive that would reduce the risk of infection and scarring compared to stitches and staples and could be applied rapidly and simply.

(New studies may bring slug-made glues closer to use in medicine, Wikinews)

He then commanded his men to row up to that side, and fastening a cable to one of the staples, ordered them to tow my chest, as they called it, toward the ship.

(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)

On the fourth side, which had no window, two strong staples were fixed, through which the person that carried me, when I had a mind to be on horseback, put a leathern belt, and buckled it about his waist.

(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)

I have already told the reader that there were two strong staples fixed upon that side of my box which had no window, and into which the servant, who used to carry me on horseback, would put a leathern belt, and buckle it about his waist.

(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)