Stick

A stick is an item used for crafting many tools and items.

Source
Sticks may be gathered from stick piles, but may also occur as random drops when picking Cotton or Red Berries from bushes. Sticks are the only ingredient needed to create the most basic weapons in the game.

Usage
Stick Club, Arrows (Standard), and Stick Bows are weapons that require sticks to craft. Sticks and Stones are the ingredients for the early game creatable items used to gather other ingredients and repair furniture. Stone Sickle, Stone Wood Axe, Stone Pickaxe, and Stone Mallet can all be crafted using sticks and stones, but each also requires you to use a specific Utility (crafting stations).