staple — a basic food item that forms the main part of a diet
Part of speech: NOUN
Definition: a basic food item that forms the main part of a diet
Pronunciation (IPA): /ˈsteɪpl/
Example Sentences
- His wardrobe consists of three staples: black T-shirt, jeans, and sneakers.
- The teacher asked students to staple their homework, but Tom used glue because he's 'too creative for metal clips'.
- Coffee has become such a staple in my life that I can't function without it.
staple
NOUN[/ˈsteɪpl/]
a basic food item that forms the main part of a diet
Rice is a staple food on every table in this village.
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🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
From Old French 'estaple' meaning a post or stake, derived from Middle Dutch 'stapel' meaning a pile or heap. The sense evolved to mean a main commodity of trade, and then a basic food item.
Breakdown
From Middle Dutch 'stapel' (pile/heap) → Old French 'estaple' (post/stake) → Middle English 'staple' (trading post, then main commodity, then basic food item). The word is a standalone morpheme with no internal breakdown.
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“His wardrobe consists of three staples: black T-shirt, jeans, and sneakers.”
“The teacher asked students to staple their homework, but Tom used glue because he's 'too creative for metal clips'.”
“Coffee has become such a staple in my life that I can't function without it.”
“She accidentally stapled her sleeve to the report and had to present while attached to her paperwork.”
📚Related Words
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