Staple Meaning
/ˈsteɪ.pəl/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA 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.
nounPlace of supply; source.
Sentence Examples
Rice is one of those staple commodities.
Instant noodles are a staple among college students.
CEFR Practice Quiz
In many cultures, rice is a ____ food, while in others it is a luxury.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Rice is a ____ food in many across Asian countries, being served with almost every single meal of the day.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English staple, from Anglo-Norman estaple, Old French estaple (“market, (trading) post”), from Late Latin stapula, from Frankish *stapul, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *stapulaz (“post”), from Proto-Indo-European *stebʰ- (“post, stem”). Compare staff. Doublet of étape and etymology 2.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"The customs of Alexandria were very great, it having been the staple of the Indian trade."
— 1727, John Arbuthnot, Tables of Ancient Coins, Weights and Measures. Explain'd and exemplify'd in several dissertations:
"For the increase of trade and the encouragement of the worthy burgesses of Woodstock, her majesty was minded to erect the town into a staple for wool."
— 1821 January 8, [Walter Scott], Kenilworth; a Romance. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), Edinburgh: […] Archibald Constable and Co.; and John Ballantyne, […]; London: Hurst, Robinson, and Co., →OCLC:
"Calais was one of the ‘principal treasures’ of the crown, of both strategic and economic importance. It was home to the staple, the crown-controlled marketplace for England's lucrative textile trade, whose substantial customs and tax revenues flooded into Henry's coffers."
— 2011, Thomas Penn, Winter King, Penguin, published 2012, page 73:
"Whitehall naturally became the chief staple of news. Whenever there was a rumour that anything important had happened or was about to happen, people hastened thither to obtain intelligence from the fountain head."
— 1849–1861, Thomas Babington Macaulay, chapter III, in The History of England from the Accession of James the Second, volume (please specify |volume=I to V), London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, →OCLC:
"The old staple of coal is a declining traffic; and what remains tends to be hauled a shorter distance, as new power stations are sited closer to coalfields."
— 1961 October, “Editorial: The importance of the "Roadrailer"”, in Trains Illustrated, page 577:
Explore More B1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
In many cultures, rice is a ____ food, while in others it is a luxury.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Rice is a ____ food in many across Asian countries, being served with almost every single meal of the day.