In order to know what a stake is, you needapply to an explanatory dictionary. Over the years, this word has acquired several meanings, one of which has come out of habitual usage. Thanks to phraseology and proverbs, the primary meaning of the word reached us.
Origin of the word
So what is a stake?Everyone knows the old saying about poverty: "no stake, no yard." In it, the word "count" means a strip of fertile land for plowing of 2.26 m long. As part of the turnover, the word acquired a more actual coloring - a stick with a pointed end, which encircles the territory, for example, a plot of land. According to Ushakov's dictionary, a small pole with a sharp end is called a stake. Its application in the modern world is quite extensive.
During the history, the stakes were used as a tooltorture. Planting on a stake originates in Ancient Egypt and persists until the 18th century. The pegs were small in size, which were driven into the chest by the criminal. In the Middle Ages, what a stake, knew firsthand, because there was a fierce struggle against vampires and sorcerers. Accordingly, a large number of people suffered a terrible and unjust death.
Modern interpretation
The meaning of the word "count" is known to any schoolboy.The figure one has a pointed shape, which visually resembles a peg. In view of this similarity, the lowest school mark for academic achievement is called the "stake".
Often in everyday spoken language this wordis used not in direct meaning. Hard or frozen objects are said to be "worth a stake," and tasteless food "is a stake in the throat" and there are lots of similar examples.
