staple (redirected from stapling)

staple¹

1. a short length of thin wire bent into a square U-shape, used to fasten papers, cloth, etc.

2. a short length of stiff wire formed into a U-shape with pointed ends, used for holding a hasp to a post, securing electric cables, etc

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staple²

1. (of a commodity) forming a predominant element in the product, consumption, or trade of a nation, region, etc.

2. a staple commodity

3. Chiefly US and Canadian a principal raw material produced or grown in a region

4. the fibre of wool, cotton, etc., graded as to length and fineness

5. (in medieval Europe) a town appointed to be the exclusive market for one or more major exports of the land

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staple [′stā·pəl]

(design engineering)

A U-shaped loop of wire with points at both ends; used as a fastener.

(textiles)

The average fiber length to be used in spinning a yarn.

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staple

A U-shaped piece of metal or heavy wire, with pointed ends, driven into a surface to secure a sheet of material, hold a hasp, etc.

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1.	(language)	STAPLE - A programming language written at Manchester (University?) and used at ICL in the early 1970s for writing the test suites. STAPLE was based on Algol 68 and had a very advanced optimising compiler.
2.	(language)	Staple - St Andrews Applicative Persistent Language. Language combining functional programming with persistent storage, developed at St. Andrews University in Scotland. Tony Davie, <ad@cs.st-andrews.ac.uk>.