I. ˈstak noun
Etymology: Middle English stak, from Old Norse stakkr; akin to Russian stog stack and probably to Old English staca stake
Date: 14th century
1. : a large usually conical pile (as of hay, straw, or grain in the sheaf) left standing in the field for storage
2.
a. : an orderly pile or heap
b. : a large quantity or number
3. : an English unit of measure especially for firewood that is equal to 108 cubic feet
4.
a. : a number of flues embodied in one structure rising above a roof
b. : a vertical pipe (as to carry off smoke)
c. : the exhaust pipe of an internal combustion engine
5.
a. : a structure of bookshelves for compact storage of books — usually used in plural
b. plural : a section of a building housing such structures
6. : a pile of poker chips
7.
a. : a memory or a section of memory in a computer for temporary storage in which the last item stored is the first retrieved ; also : a data structure that simulates a stack
a push-down stack
b. : a computer memory consisting of arrays of memory elements stacked one on top of another
II. verb
Date: 14th century
transitive verb
1.
a. : to arrange in a stack : pile
b. : to pile in or on
stack ed the table with books
stack the dishwasher
2.
a. : to arrange secretly for cheating
stack a deck of cards
b. : to arrange or fix so as to make a particular result likely
the odds are stack ed against us
will stack juries to suit themselves — Patrice Horn
3.
a. : to assign (an airplane) by radio to a particular altitude and position within a group circling before landing
b. : to put into a waiting line
another dozen rigs are stack ed up and waiting — P. H. Hutchins, Jr.
4. : compare — used with against
such a crime is nothing when stack ed against a murder — Pete Censky
intransitive verb
: to form a stack
• stack·er noun