I. ˈstak noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English stak, from Old Norse stakkr; akin to Old English staca stake — more at stake
1. : a large pile (as of hay, grain in the sheaf, or straw) that is usually nearly conical but sometimes rectangular, is commonly contracted at the top to a point or ridge, and is often thatched to shed rain
2.
a. : a usually orderly and systematically arranged pile or heap
shuttled back and forth between the sink and the table, building her stacks of dried dishes — Lenard Kaufman
keeps a great stack of back copies of the magazine — Joseph Mitchell
a stack of wood
a stack of pancakes
b. : a large quantity or number
there was a considerable stack of evidence — G.A.Morran
often spends his evenings working on stacks of papers he has brought home — Current Biography
has a stack of money
3. : an English unit of measure especially for wood as fuel that is equal to 108 cubic feet
4.
a. : chimney stack
b. : a vertical pipe (as to carry off smoke) : chimney , funnel , smokestack
c. : the part of a blast furnace or cupola above the hearth and melting zone
d. : the exhaust pipe of an internal-combustion engine — compare bayonet stack
e. : a fireplace and its chimney for cooking varnish
f. : a set of radiators in a cellar for heating apartments above by hot air conveyed through tin pipes ; also : the tin pipe by which the heat is conveyed to an apartment
5. : a rocky islet that is commonly steep-sided and near a cliffy shore and that has been isolated by wave erosion — compare chimney 2c
6. : a pyramidal self-supporting pile of arms ; specifically : a pile composed of three rifles interlocked by their stacking swivels
7.
a.
(1) : a structure of bookshelves separated by narrow aisles that is one or more stories in height and is used for compact storage of books — usually used in plural
(2) : the portion of a building housing such a structure — usually used in plural
b. : a collection of bookcases compactly arranged
8. : a row of benches containing retorts for use in gas manufacturing
9. : a number of usually similar antennas mounted together and operated as part of a single radio system
10. : an assembled set of calender rolls with the required accessories
11. : air stack
12.
a. : an established quantity of chips sold at one time to a gambler (as in poker) — called also takeout
b. : the supply of chips belonging to a cardplayer at any given time
II. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English stakken, from stak, n.
transitive verb
1.
a. : to pile up : make into a usually neat heap or pile
so many millions so tightly packed and stacked into such tall hives — G.S.Perry
stacked the firewood in the cellar
b. : to place quantities of something on or in : load
the floor was stacked high with bales of dry goods — Winston Churchill
stack the bulkheads with cargoes from every port in the world — American Guide Series: New York City
2. : to arrange in a stack
stacked their arms and lowered their flag — American Guide Series: Louisiana
3.
a. : to arrange (cards or a pack of cards) secretly for cheating
the cards were stacked against him
b. : to weight the composition of dishonestly or unfairly
they stacked juries and stole elections — Springfield (Massachusetts) Daily News
charged … that the conference was stacked against the supporters of federal aid — M.W.Straight
4. : to assign (an airplane approaching an airport) by radio to a particular altitude and position within a group circling and waiting a turn to land
5. : to make the belly of (an archery bow) high and narrow
intransitive verb
1. : to form a stack : heap , pile
the containers are low in cost, set up easily and stack well — Appliance Manufacturer
2. : to form a line or group : accumulate — used with up
long double lines of cars stacked up on either side of the site — Springfield (Massachusetts) Union
III. noun
1. : a memory or a section of memory in a computer for temporary storage in which the last data item stored is the first retrieved ; also : a data structure that simulates a stack
2. : a computer memory consisting of arrays of memory elements stacked one on top of another