Stapler
/ˈsteɪ.pəl.ər/noun
A device used to fasten sheets of paper together with metal staples.
Did you know?Stapler is a later English formation from *staple*, a word that once meant a post or prop, so the name is basically the machine that makes a paper-binding “staple” from the idea of a fastening peg.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*steb-
“to stand or be firm”
Old English
OE
stæpel
“a post, prop, or support”
Middle English
ME
staple
“a metal U-shaped fastener; also a principal market or supply source”
19th Century
English
stapler
“a device for driving staple fasteners into paper or other materials”
Modern English
English
stapler
“a handheld or desk device used to fasten sheets with staples”