staple1

 
Pronunciation: /ˈsteɪp(ə)l/

noun

  • a piece of thin wire with two short right-angled end pieces which are driven by a stapler through sheets of paper to fasten them together.
  • a U-shaped metal bar with pointed ends for driving into wood to hold things such as wires in place.

verb

[with object and adverbial of place]
  • attach or secure with a staple or staples: Merrill stapled a batch of papers together

Origin:

Old English stapol, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch stapel 'pillar' (a sense reflected in English in early use)