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Glite Dictionary
staple fiber

staple fiber

5.6
A short natural thread from plants or animals that can be twisted to make yarn
  • noun
  • /ˈsteɪpəl ˈfaɪbər/
  • Specialized
translation icon : fibra básica
  • Cotton is a commonly used staple fiber in the textile industry for making comfortable clothing.
  • short-staple fiber

Examples

  • Another version, type 2025, has staple fibers.

    Academic text (2007)

  • And you can have natural staple fibers and natural filament fibers and you can have man made staple fibers and man made filament fibers.

  • The blanket was made from soft staple fibers that kept me warm during the winter nights.

  • She chose a fabric made of natural staple fibers for her eco-friendly clothing line.

Synonyms

staple
vsstaple fiber
1 6.3

The raw fiber from plants or animals that can be twisted into yarn

emphasizes that the fiber is of limited length

Surface Forms

staple fiber singular
staple fibers plural

Morphology

staple + fiber

The meaning is directly compositional: 'staple' (a short natural fiber used for yarn) modifies 'fiber', so 'staple fiber' simply refers to natural fibers of limited length that can be spun. This follows ordinary noun–noun modification and is therefore readily understandable to a B1 learner who knows the constituent words.

Etymology

The term staple fiber comes from old cloth-making and names small natural fiber pieces called staples. These staples are 'short lengths' that spinners can twist together to make 'yarn', so the phrase means a natural fiber of limited length used for spinning.