%stap%

a. (Anat.) Pertaining to a part of the columella of the ear, which, in many animals, projects beyond the connection with the stapes. -- n. The extrastapedial part of columella. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Infra + stapedial. ] (Anat.) Of or pertaining to a part of the columella of the ear, which in many animals projects below the connection with the stapes. -- n. The infrastapedial part of the columella. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Anat.) Pertaining to a part of the columella of the ear, between the stapes and the mediostapedial. -- n. The interstapedial part of the columella. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. medius middle + E. stapedial. ] (Anat.) Pertaining to that part of the columella of the ear which, in some animals, connects the stapes with the other parts of the columella. -- n. The mediostapedial part of the columella. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ LL. stapes stirrup. ] (Anat.) Of or pertaining to the stapes. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ NL. So named after John Bodaeus a Stapel, a physician of Amsterdam. ] (Bot.) An extensive and curious genus of African plants of the natural order Asclepiadaceae (Milkweed family). They are succulent plants without leaves, frequently covered with dark tubercles giving them a very grotesque appearance. The odor of the blossoms is like that of carrion. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ LL., a stirrup. ] (Anat.) The innermost of the ossicles of the ear; the stirrup, or stirrup bone; -- so called from its form. See Illust. of Ear. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Gr. stafy`linos botryoidal, from stafylh` a bunch of grapes. ] (Anat.) Of or pertaining to the uvula or the palate. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Gr. stafyli^nos a kind of insect. ] (Zool.) Any rove beetle. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ L., fr. Gr. stafy`lwma, from stafylh` a bunch of grapes. ] (Med.) A protrusion of any part of the globe of the eye; as, a staphyloma of the cornea. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Med.) Of or pertaining to staphyloma; affected with staphyloma. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Gr. &unr_; a bunch of grapes, also, the uvula when swollen at the lower end + -plasty. ] (Surg.) The operation for restoring or replacing the soft palate when it has been lost. Dunglison. -- Staph`y*lo*plas"tic a. [1913 Webster]

{ } n. [ Gr. stafylh` the uvula when swollen + "ra`ptein to sew: cf. F. staphylorraphie.] (Surg.) The operation of uniting a cleft palate, consisting in paring and bringing together the edges of the cleft. -- Staph`y*lo*raph"ic Staph`y*lor*rhaph"ic a. [1913 Webster]

n. [ Gr. &unr_; the uvula when swollen + &unr_; to cut. ] (Surg.) The operation of removing a staphyloma by cutting. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ AS. stapul, stapol, stapel, a step, a prop, post, table, fr. stapan to step, go, raise; akin to D. stapel a pile, stocks, emporium, G. stapela heap, mart, stake, staffel step of a ladder, Sw. stapel, Dan. stabel, and E. step; cf. OF. estaple a mart, F. étape. See Step. ] 1. A settled mart; an emporium; a city or town to which merchants brought commodities for sale or exportation in bulk; a place for wholesale traffic. [ 1913 Webster ]

The customs of Alexandria were very great, it having been the staple of the Indian trade. Arbuthnot. [ 1913 Webster ]

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. Sir W. Scott. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ In England, formerly, the king's staple was established in certain ports or towns, and certain goods could not be exported without being first brought to these places to be rated and charged with the duty payable to the king or the public. The principal commodities on which customs were levied were wool, skins, and leather; and these were originally the staple commodities. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Hence: Place of supply; source; fountain head. [ 1913 Webster ]

Whitehall naturally became the chief staple of news. Whenever there was a rumor that any thing important had happened or was about to happen, people hastened thither to obtain intelligence from the fountain head. Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. The principal commodity of traffic in a market; a principal commodity or production of a country or district; as, wheat, maize, and cotton are great staples of the United States. [ 1913 Webster ]

We should now say, Cotton is the great staple, that is, the established merchandise, of Manchester. Trench. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. The principal constituent in anything; chief item. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. Unmanufactured material; raw material. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. The fiber of wool, cotton, flax, or the like; as, a coarse staple; a fine staple; a long or short staple. [ 1913 Webster ]

7. A loop of metal such as iron, or a bar or wire, bent and formed with two points to be driven into wood, to hold a hook, pin, or the like. [ 1913 Webster ]

8. Specifically: A small loop of metal such as steel, bent into a U-shape with the points sharpened, used to fasten sheets of paper together by driving the staple{ 8 } through the stacked sheets and into a formed receptacle which curls the ends in and backward, thus holding the papers firmly together; also, a similar, slightly larger such fastener which may be driven into wood to fasten objects to a wooden backing. [ 1913 Webster ]

9. (Mining) (a) A shaft, smaller and shorter than the principal one, joining different levels. (b) A small pit. [ 1913 Webster ]

10. A district granted to an abbey. [ Obs. ] Camden. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. 1. Pertaining to, or being a market or staple for, commodities; as, a staple town. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Established in commerce; occupying the markets; settled; as, a staple trade. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Fit to be sold; marketable. [ R. ] Swift. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. Regularly produced or manufactured in large quantities; belonging to wholesale traffic; principal; chief. [ 1913 Webster ]

Wool, the great staple commodity of England. Hallam. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. stapled p. pr. & vb. n. stapling. ] 1. To sort according to its staple; as, to staple cotton. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To fasten together with a staple{ 9 } or staples; as, to staple a check to a letter. [ PJC ]

n. A device used to drive a heavy staple{ 8 } through multiple objects, so as to fasten them together; it has a spring mechanism which stores force as a lever is pulled by the operator's hand, and the force is released all at once to drive the staple fully into the object to be fastened. [ PJC ]

n. 1. A dealer in staple goods. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. One employed to assort wool according to its staple. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A device used to drive a staple{ 8 } into objects so as to fasten them together. [ PJC ]