- stack
- [[t]stæk[/t]]n.1) a more or less orderly pile or heap2) agr. a large, usu. conical, circular, or rectangular pile of hay, straw, or the like3) Often, stacks. a set of shelves for books ranged compactly one above the other, as in a library4) lib stacks, the part of a library in which books and other holdings are stored5) bui a number of chimneys or flues grouped together6) buismokestack7) inf a great quantity or number8) rtv a radio antenna consisting of a number of components connected in a substantially vertical series9) cmp a linear list, as in a computer, arranged so that the last item stored is the first item retrieved10) mil a conical, free-standing group of three rifles placed on their butts and hooked together11) aer. a group of airplanes circling over an airport awaiting their turns to land12) wam an English measure for coal and wood, equal to 108 cubic feet (3 cu. m)13) gama) a given quantity of chips that can be bought at one time, as in pokerb) the quantity of chips held by a player at a given point14) to pile, arrange, or place in a stack15) to cover or load with something in stacks or piles16) to arrange or select unfairly in order to force a desired result:to stack a jury[/ex]17) aer. to keep (incoming airplanes) flying in circles over an airport where conditions prevent immediate landings18) cvb to be arranged in or form a stack19) phv stack upa) aer. to control the flight patterns of airplanes waiting to land at an airport so that each circles at a designated altitudeb) to compare; measure up (often fol. by against)c) to add up•Etymology: 1250–1300; (n.) ME stak < ON stakkr haystack stack′er, n. stack′less, adj.
From formal English to slang. 2014.