Nearby Words

staking

Origin

stake

1[steyk] ,noun, verb, staked, stak·ing.
noun
1.
a stick or post pointed at one end for driving into the ground as a boundary mark, part of a fence, support for a plant, etc.
2.
a post to which a person is bound for execution, usually by burning.
3.
the stake, the punishment of death by burning: Joan of Arc was sentenced to the stake.
4.
one of a number of vertical posts fitting into sockets or staples on the edge of the platform of a truck or other vehicle, as to retain the load.
5.
Mormon Church. a division of ecclesiastical territory, consisting of a number of wards presided over by a president and two counselors.
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6.
sett (def. 2).
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verb (used with object)
7.
to mark with or as if with stakes (often followed by off or out): We staked out the boundaries of the garden.
8.
to possess, claim, or reserve a share of (land, profit, glory, etc.) as if by marking or bounding with stakes (usually followed by out or off): I'm staking out ten percent of the profit for myself.
9.
to separate or close off by a barrier of stakes.
10.
to support with a stake or stakes, as a plant: to stake tomato vines.
11.
to tether or secure to a stake, as an animal: They staked the goat in the back yard.
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12.
to fasten with a stake or stakes.
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Staking is always a great word to know.
So is quincunx. Does it mean:
a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.
an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.
13.
stake out,
a.
to keep (a suspect) under police surveillance.
b.
to appoint (a police officer) to maintain constant watch over a suspect or place.
14.
pull up stakes, Informal. to leave one's job, place of residence, etc.; move: They pulled up stakes and went to California.

Origin:
before 900; (noun) Middle English; Old English staca pin; cognate with Dutch staak, German Stake, Old Norse -staki (in lȳsistaki candlestick); akin to stick1; (v.) Middle English staken to mark (land) with stakes, derivative of the noun


1. pale, picket, pike.

Dictionary.com Unabridged

stake

2[steyk] ,noun, verb, staked, stak·ing.
noun
1.
something that is wagered in a game, race, or contest.
2.
a monetary or commercial interest, investment, share, or involvement in something, as in hope of gain: I have a big stake in the success of the firm.
3.
a personal or emotional concern, interest, involvement, or share: Parents have a big stake in their children's happiness.
4.
the funds with which a gambler operates.
5.
Often, stakes. a prize, reward, increase in status, etc., in or as if in a contest.
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6.
stakes. Poker. the cash values assigned to the various colored chips, various bets, and raises: Our stakes are 5, 10, and 25 cents: you can bet out 10 cents on a pair and reraise twice at 25 cents.
7.
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verb (used with object)
8.
to risk (something), as upon the result of a game or the occurrence or outcome of any uncertain event, venture, etc.: He staked his reputation on the success of the invention.
9.
to furnish (someone) with necessaries or resources, especially money: They staked me to a good meal and a train ticket.
10.
at stake, in danger of being lost, as something that has been wagered; critically involved.

Origin:
1520–30; origin uncertain


1. wager, bet. 5. winnings, purse. 8. bet, gamble, hazard; jeopardize.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To staking
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

stake
early 14c., "to mark (land) with stakes," from stake (n.). Hence, to stake a claim (1857). Meaning "to risk, wager" is attested from 1520s, probably from notion of "post on which a gambling wager was placed," though Weekley suggests "there is a tinge of the burning or baiting
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metaphor" in this usage. Noun meaning "that which is placed at hazard" is recorded from 1530s. Plural stakes, as in horse racing, first recorded 1690s (cf. sweepstakes). To have a stake in is recorded from 1784. Meaning "to maintain surveilance" (usually stake out) is first recorded 1942, Amer.Eng. colloquial, probably form earlier sense of "mark off territory."
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Slang Dictionary

stake (so/sth) definition


  1. tv.
    to position a person so that someone or something can be observed or followed. : Marlowe staked out the apartment building and watched patiently for an hour.
  2. tv.
    to position a person to observe someone or something. : We staked out two men to keep watch.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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