Definition of staple

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sta·ple¹    (stpl) KEY 

NOUN:

1. A principal raw material or commodity grown or produced in a region.
2. A major item of trade in steady demand.
3. A basic dietary item, such as flour, rice, or corn.
4. A basic or principal element or feature.
5. The fiber of cotton, wool, or flax, graded as to length and fineness.

ADJECTIVE:

1. Produced or stocked in large quantities to meet steady demand: Wheat is a staple crop.
2. Principal; main: a staple topic of conversation.

TRANSITIVE VERB:
sta·pled, sta·pling, sta·ples

To grade (fibers) according to length and fineness.

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ETYMOLOGY:
Middle English, official market for purchase of export goods, from Anglo-Norman estaple, perhaps from Middle Dutch stpel, heap, emporium