stake

Etymology

From Middle English stake, from Old English staca (“pin, tack, stake”), from Proto-Germanic *stakô (“stake”), from Proto-Indo-European *stog-, *steg- (“stake”). Cognate with Scots stak, staik, Saterland Frisian Stak, West Frisian staak, Dutch staak, Low German Stake, Norwegian stake.

noun

1. A piece of wood or other material, usually long and slender, pointed at one end so as to be easily driven into the ground as a marker or a support or stay.
   We have surveyor's stakes at all four corners of this field, to mark exactly its borders.
2. (croquet) A piece of wood driven in the ground, placed in the middle of the court, that is used as the finishing point after scoring 12 hoops in croquet.
3. A stick inserted upright in a lop, eye, or mortise, at the side or end of a cart, flat car, flatbed trailer, or the like, to prevent goods from falling off.
4. (with definite article) The piece of timber to which a person condemned to death was affixed to be burned.
   Thomas Cranmer was burnt at the stake.
   However, the word "witch" came to be applied almost exclusively to women who … were usually old and ugly, and for this reason many unfortunate old ladies, whose only crimes were loneliness and a lack of beauty, went to the stake. 1936, Rollo Ahmed, The Black Art, London: Long, page 106
5. A share or interest in a business or a given situation.
   The owners let the managers eventually earn a stake in the business.
   The French Government is Eurostar's majority shareholder, with the country's state-owned railway SNCF holding a 55% stake, while Belgian state operator SNCB has a 5% stake. February 10 2021, Richard Clinnick, “Eurostar boost as French promise aid”, in RAIL, number 924, page 10
6. That which is laid down as a wager; that which is staked or hazarded; a pledge.
7. A small anvil usually furnished with a tang to enter a hole in a bench top, as used by tinsmiths, blacksmiths, etc., for light work, punching hole in or cutting a work piece, or for specific forming techniques etc.
8. (Mormonism) A territorial division comprising all the Mormons (typically several thousand) in a geographical area.
   Every city, or stake, including a chief town and surrounding towns, has its president, with two counselors; and this president has a high council of chosen men. 1910, Schaff–Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge

verb

1. (transitive) To fasten, support, defend, or delineate with stakes.
   to stake vines or plants
2. (transitive) To pierce or wound with a stake.
   You see, I'd made a bargain with him to buy the horse for a hundred and twenty—a swinging price, but I always liked the horse. And what does he do but go and stake him—fly at a hedge with stakes in it, atop of a bank with a ditch before it. 1861, George Eliot, Silas Marner
   You ladies happen to notice what happened to this vampire? This just happened. Did you see who staked him? 2014, A. J. Gallant, Dracula: Hearts of Stone
3. (transitive) To put at risk upon success in competition, or upon a future contingency.
4. (transitive) To provide another with money in order to engage in an activity as betting or a business venture.
   John went broke, so to keep him playing, Jill had to stake him.
   His family staked him $10,000 to get his business started.
5. (cryptocurrencies) To deposit and risk a considerable amount of cryptocurrency in order to participate in the proof of stake process of verification.
   Any peer can participate in the mining process by staking coins in order to validate a new transaction. To become a miner, there are two options; you can stake your coins to be used by a trustworthy node […], or you can submit a full node to be selected as a miner. 2019, Elad Elrom, “Blockchain Basics”, in The Blockchain Developer[…], Apress, page 23