Stack (stăk), n. [Icel. stakkr; akin to Sw. stack, Dan. stak. Cf. Stake.]
1. A large and to some degree orderly pile of hay, grain, straw, or the like, usually of a nearly conical form, but sometimes rectangular or oblong, contracted at the top to a point or ridge, and sometimes covered with thatch.
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But corn was housed, and beans were in the stack. Cowper.
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2. Hence: An orderly pile of any type of object, indefinite in quantity; -- used especially of piles of wood. A stack is usually more orderly than a pile
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Against every pillar was a stack of billets above a man's height. Bacon.
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3. Specifically: A pile of wood containing 108 cubic feet. [Eng.]
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4. Hence: A large quantity; as, “a stack of cash”. [Informal]
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5. (Arch.) (a) A number of flues embodied in one structure, rising above the roof. Hence: (b) Any single insulated and prominent structure, or upright pipe, which affords a conduit for smoke; as, “the brick smokestack of a factory; the smokestack of a steam vessel”.
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6. (Computer programming) (a) A section of memory in a computer used for temporary storage of data, in which the last datum stored is the first retrieved. (b) A data structure within random-access memory used to simulate a hardware stack; as, “a push-down stack”.
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7. pl. The section of a library containing shelves which hold books less frequently requested.
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Stack of arms (Mil.), a number of muskets or rifles set up together, with the bayonets crossing one another, forming a sort of conical self-supporting pile. -- to blow one's stacks to become very angry and lose one's self-control, and especially to display one's fury by shouting.
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Stack, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Stacked (stăkt); p. pr. & vb. n. Stacking.] [Cf. Sw. stacka, Dan. stakke. See Stack, n.]
1. To lay in a conical or other pile; to make into a large pile; as, “to stack hay, cornstalks, or grain; to stack or place wood.”
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2. Specifically: To place in a vertical arrangement so that each item in a pile is resting on top of another item in the pile, except for the bottom item; as, “to stack the papers neatly on the desk; to stack the bricks”.
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3. To select or arrange dishonestly so as to achieve an unfair advantage; as, “to stack a deck of cards; to stack a jury with persons prejudiced against the defendant”.
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To stack arms (Mil.), to set up a number of muskets or rifles together, with the bayonets crossing one another, and forming a sort of conical pile.
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