staple2
• noun 1 a main item of trade or production. 2 a main or important element of something. 3 the fibre of cotton or wool considered with regard to its length and fineness. • adjective main or important: a staple food. — ORIGIN originally denoting a centre of trade in a specified commodity: from Low German, Dutch stapel ‘pillar, emporium’; related to STAPLE1.
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