Fastened papers or materials together using a staple (a small metal pin that bends to hold things), or made something a permanent or essential part of something.
From Old English 'stapel' meaning 'post' or 'stake.' The device was invented in the late 1800s, and the word shifted to describe the fastening action.
It's wild that 'staple' has two opposite meanings: a metal fastener that holds papers together, and something 'staple' like bread or milk that's a permanent fixture in our diets. Both meanings trace back to the idea of something that's fixed in place or essential.
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