staff of life

See synonyms for staff of life on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. bread, considered as the mainstay of the human diet.

Origin of staff of life

1
First recorded in 1630–40

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

Cultural definitions for staff of life

staff of life

A basic staple food, such as bread, rice, or potatoes: “Rice is the staff of life in eastern Asia.”

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Other Idioms and Phrases with staff of life

staff of life

A staple or necessary food, especially bread. For example, Rice is the staff of life for a majority of the earth's people. This expression, which uses staff in the sense of “a support,” was first recorded in 1638.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.