Translate staple | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish Definition of staple
noun
1a main or important element of something, especially of a diet:bread, milk, and other staples Greek legend was the staple of classical tragedy a main item of trade or production:rubber became the staple of the Malayan economy
2the fiber of cotton or wool considered with regard to its length and degree of fineness: [in combination]:jackets made from long-staple Egyptian cotton
3 [often with modifier] historical a center of trade, especially in a specified commodity:proposals were made for a wool staple at Pisa
adjective
[attributive] main or important, especially in terms of consumption:the staple foods of the poor figurativeviolence is the staple diet of the video generation most important in terms of trade or production:rice was the staple crop grown in most villages
verb
[with object] sort or classify (wool, etc.) according to fiber.
