staple
- staple
\ \ English has two distinct words staple, but they come from a common ancestor – prehistoric Germanic *stapulaz ‘pillar’. This evolved into English staple [OE], which at first retained its ancestral meaning ‘post, pillar’. The modern sense ‘U-shaped metal bar’ did not emerge until the end of the 13th century, and the details of its development from ‘pillar’ are obscure. The Middle Low German and Middle Dutch descendant of *stapulaz was stapel, which had the additional meaning ‘market, shop’ (presumably from the notion of a stall situated behind the ‘pillars’ of an arcade). This was borrowed into Old French as estaple, which in turn gave English staple ‘market’ [15], hence ‘principal commercial commodity’.
Word origins - 2ed.
J. Ayto.
2005.
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Look at other dictionaries:
Staple — may mean:*Staple (fastener), a formed metal fastener used to secure sheets of material or wires, so they will not fall apart of each other. *Staple food, a foodstuff that forms the basic constituent of a diet. It is a standard commodity rather… … Wikipedia
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.… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
staple — Ⅰ. staple [1] ► NOUN 1) a small flattened U shaped piece of wire used to fasten papers together. 2) a small U shaped metal bar with pointed ends for driving into wood to hold things in place. ► VERB ▪ secure with a staple or staples. ORIGIN Old… … English terms dictionary
staple — sta ple, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {stapled} ( p ld); p. pr. & vb. n. {stapling}.] 1. To sort according to its staple; as, to staple cotton. [1913 Webster] 2. To fasten together with a staple[9] or staples; as, to staple a check to a letter. [PJC] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
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;… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
STAPLE! — The Independent Media Expo is an annual convention in Austin, Texas, United States, for alternative comics, minicomics, webcomics, zines, underground comics, and graphic arts. Chris Nicholas founded the conference as a gathering place for… … Wikipedia
staple — staple1 [stā′pəl] n. [ME stapel < OFr estaple < MDu stapel, mart, emporium, post, orig. support, akin to STAPLE2] 1. the chief commodity, or any of the most important commodities, made, grown, or sold in a particular place, region, country … English World dictionary
Staple — Stapel País … Wikipedia Español
staple — index item, stock in trade Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 … Law dictionary
staple n — staple diet … English expressions
staple — [adj] necessary, basic chief, essential, fundamental, important, in demand, key, main, popular, predominant, primary, principal, standard; concept 546 Ant. auxiliary, extra, minor, secondary, unnecessary … New thesaurus
