# stake

Pronunciation: say "STAYK" /steɪk/

## Noun

1. A long, slender piece of wood or metal, pointed at one end so it can be driven into the ground as a marker or support.
   - Simple: A long, thin pointed stick that you push into the ground to mark a spot or hold something up.
   - _The surveyor drove a stake at each corner to mark the property line._
   - _Climbers anchored their tent with metal stakes hammered deep into the snow._
2. The money or valuables risked on the outcome of a bet, game, or contest.
   - Simple: Money or something valuable that you bet and could win or lose.
   - _He lost his whole stake on a single hand of poker._
   - _The pot grew as each gambler added to the stakes._
3. A share or financial interest in a business, or a personal interest in how a situation turns out.
   - Simple: A part of a business or situation that you own or care about.
   - _The investor bought a forty percent stake in the startup._
   - _Local families hold a real stake in the outcome of the election._
5. The wooden post to which a person condemned to death was tied to be burned alive.
   - Simple: A wooden post that someone was tied to and burned to death as punishment.
   - _In 1431, Joan of Arc was bound to the stake and burned before a crowd at Rouen._
   - _The condemned woman faced the stake without flinching._
10. An upright post or bar set into a socket at the side or end of a cart, flatbed, or trailer to keep goods from falling off.
   - Simple: An upright post fitted along the side of a truck or cart to keep the load from falling off.
   - _Workers fitted tall stakes along both sides of the flatbed to hold the stacked pipes._
   - _A loose stake let part of the load shift during the turn._
11. A small anvil with a tang that fits into a hole in a bench, used by tinsmiths and blacksmiths for light shaping, cutting, or punching.
   - Simple: A small anvil with a spike that fits into a workbench, used for light metalwork.
   - _The smith chose a rounded stake to form the curve of the copper bowl._
   - _She fitted the stake into the bench and hammered the seam flat over its edge._
12. In croquet, the wooden post set in the middle of the court that serves as the finishing point once a player has scored all twelve hoops.
   - Simple: In croquet, the wooden post in the center of the court that players hit last to finish.
   - _After clearing the final hoop, he sent his ball to strike the stake and win._
   - _Both balls reached the stake within seconds of each other._
13. In the Mormon church, an administrative division made up of several local congregations within a geographical area, usually numbering several thousand members.
   - Simple: In the Mormon church, a group of local congregations in one area.
   - _The new stake was formed by combining several growing congregations._
   - _Leaders from across the stake gathered for the semiannual conference._

## Verb

4. To risk money or something valuable on the success of a competition or a future outcome.
   - Simple: To bet something valuable on the result of a game or future event.
   - _She staked a month's wages on the championship match._
   - _Gamblers often stake more than they can afford to lose._
6. To fasten, support, defend, or mark out an area with pointed posts driven into the ground.
   - Simple: To hold up, support, or mark out something with pointed posts driven into the ground.
   - _The farmer staked the saplings so they would grow straight._
   - _Workers stake the vines each spring to support the growing fruit._
7. To provide someone with the money they need to gamble or to start a business venture.
   - Simple: To give someone money so they can bet, play, or start a business.
   - _The investor staked the young chef to launch his first restaurant._
   - _Friends pooled their savings to stake him in the new venture._
8. To pierce or wound a person or creature by driving a pointed stake through the body.
   - Simple: To stab someone or something with a sharp pointed stick.
   - _The villagers staked the corpse to keep it from rising again._
   - _According to folklore, a hero must stake the monster before sunrise._
9. To deposit and lock up a sum of cryptocurrency in order to take part in verifying transactions on a proof-of-stake network.
   - Simple: To lock up an amount of cryptocurrency to help run a network and earn rewards.
   - _Validators stake large amounts of tokens to secure the blockchain._
   - _He staked his holdings to earn rewards on the network._

## Origin

From Middle English stake, from Old English staca ("pin, tack, stake"), which traces back through Proto-West Germanic and Proto-Germanic to the Proto-Indo-European root *stog-, *steg- ("stake"). It is cognate with Dutch staak, Low German Stake, Norwegian stake, and Spanish estaca.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/stake (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).