What is stake?

What Does stake Mean

To know the meaning of the term stake it is necessary, first of all, to know its etymological origin. In this case, we can establish that it derives from the Gothic, specifically from “stakka”, which can be translated as “pole” or even “stick”.

A stake is a stick that has a sharp end . Thanks to this particularity, it is an element with different uses, since it can be driven into the ground.
Stakes are used to set up a tent or tent . By driving in the stakes, the ropes that lift the structure can be anchored. For example: "Do not lose the stakes while I set up the tent" , "This type of tent requires six stakes" , "Despite the stakes, the shelter ended up being blown away by strong winds . "

In the context of the armed forces, stakes are poles that make it possible to create stakes : fortifications or defensive barriers. Stockings are formed by driving the stakes into the ground and creating a containment system.
Another use of stakes is linked to assault and even torture . Impalement is a mode of execution in which the victim was impaled or nailed with a stake. In mythology, it is said that one of the ways to kill a vampire is by driving a stake through his heart.
In the same way, we cannot ignore the existence of a song that bears the term in question in its title. We are referring to “L'Estaca”, which can be translated as “La Estaca”. It was composed in 1968 by the Catalan singer-songwriter Lluís Llach and has become a symbol for freedom. And it is that he created it during the dictatorship of Francisco Franco with the purpose of calling the unity of pro to break the ties and achieve the aforementioned freedom.
If we focus on botany , we can say that a stake is a stem or branch that lacks roots but can be planted so that a new specimen emerges. The stake, therefore, is separated from a bush or a tree and buried in a substrate in order to take root in it. If the procedure is successful, the plant soon begins to grow and develop. That is why cuttings are a form of vegetative propagation.
In addition to all that is indicated, we cannot ignore the existence of a geographical feature that has the word that we are addressing in its name. We are referring to Cape Estaca de Bares, which is located in Mañón, in the province of La Coruña, and which stands out for two things: for being the northernmost point of Spain and because it determines the separation between the Atlantic Ocean and the Cantabrian Sea.
In the field of mining, the term at hand is also used. And it is that in this sector a stake is a unit used to measure areas in countries such as Chile, Bolivia or Peru, for example. That without forgetting the Castilian stake that has 0.84 meters.