staple

1. A town containing merchants who have exclusive right, under royal authority, to purchase or produce certain goods for export; also, the body of such merchants seen as a group.
2. (by extension) Place of supply; source.
3. The principal commodity produced in a town or region.
4. A basic or essential supply.

   Rice is a staple in the diet of many cultures.

5. A recurring topic or character.
6. Short fiber, as of cotton, sheep’s wool, or the like, which can be spun into yarn or thread.
7. Unmanufactured material; raw material.

1. To sort according to its staple.

   to staple cotton

1. Relating to, or being market of staple for, commodities.

   a staple town

2. Established in commerce; occupying the markets; settled.

   a staple trade

3. Fit to be sold; marketable.
4. Regularly produced or manufactured in large quantities; belonging to wholesale traffic; principal; chief.

1. A wire fastener used to secure stacks of paper by penetrating all the sheets and curling around.
2. A wire fastener used to secure something else by penetrating and curling.

   Can you believe they use staples to hold cars together these days?

3. A U-shaped metal fastener, used to attach fence wire or other material to posts or structures.

   The rancher used staples to attach the barbed wire to the fence-posts.

4. One of a set of U-shaped metal rods hammered into a structure, such as a piling or wharf, which serve as a ladder.

   Fortunately, there were staples in the quay wall, and she was able to climb out of the water.

5. A shaft, smaller and shorter than the principal one, joining different levels.
6. A small pit.
7. A district granted to an abbey.
8. A post; prop; support

verb

To secure with a staple.