n.
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French estaple, from Middle Dutch stapel emporium
Date: 15th century
1 : a town used as a center for the sale or exportation of commodities in bulk
2 : a place of supply : SOURCE
3 : a chief commodity or production of a place
4 a : a commodity for which the demand is constant b : something having widespread and constant use or appeal c : the sustaining or principal element : SUBSTANCE
5 : RAW MATERIAL
6 a : textile fiber (as wool and rayon) of relatively short length that when spun and twisted forms a yarn rather than a filament b : the length of a piece of such textile fiber