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First published 2001 (DOST Vol. IX).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Stak, n.¹ Also: stack(e, stake, staik(e, stalk. Pl. also stoxe. [ME and e.m.E. stak (Cursor M.), stac (a1300), stack(e (c1400), stakk (c1460), ON stakkr.]

1. A regularly-built, thatched rick of sheaves of grain or peas, for storage until threshing; a similar rick of hay. Also fig.Also attrib. with drawing and in comb., head stak (Hede n.¹), the upper part or thatching of a stack.See also Bere n.² b, Corn n. 4, Pese-stak n., Pise-stak n. for further examples.(1) c1420 Wynt. ii 443.
Dame Ceres … Fyrst gert corne wytht mesure mete As boll or pek … Quhare befor bot in to stake [C. stak, W. strake], Or hepys on erde thai oysyde to make c1500 Rowll Cursing 24 (M).
His quheit his aitis his peis his beir In stouk or stak 1507–8 Reg. Privy S. I 241/1.
A chalder of atis and bere in stak(2) 1449 Acts II 36/2.
At na man hold ald stakkis in his ȝarde langar than Ȝule c1500 Fyve Bestes 266. 1521 Aberd. B. Rec. I xxxv.
[The] destructioun of thair cornys, bayth one field, out of stakis and barnis 1538–9 Selkirk B. Ct. (ed.) 203. 1589 Antiq. Aberd. & B. III 190.
Thair haill cornis being in brokine stakkis in the yarde and thair haill cornis being in brokin mowis in the barne and thraschin cornis being in heippis thairin 1594 Crim. Trials I ii 345. a1598 Waus Corr. 546.
The sereff … hes fencit our stakis and intendis to puynd our cornis 1602 Colville Paraenese 29.
Tho sche seam bot as a barn or stak vharin doth appear no thing outvardly bot caf and stra 1607 Dundonald Par. Rec. 125.
The laying on ane claith vpon ane stak to kep ane schour 1621 Perth Kirk S. in Spottiswoode Misc. II 300.
Great plenty of corns … both stacks and stouks … were carried away by the waters 1621 Berw. Doc. fol. 1 No. 20.
To the wairk men thatt heidit the stackis 1630 Justiciary Cases I 145.
Alexander was commandit be the devill his maister to draw thre heidis of corne furth of ilk ane of the said … stakis 1633 Buccleuch Mun. II 272.
To James Scott … for keiping of the teynd yaird of Hawik … and heiding the stakes of the samyn 1640 Hibbert P. No. 10.
Ȝe man remember to drese the stak of Elizabethis feather giwe it be wndresit a1646 Wedderburn Voc. (1709) 27.
Stacks [frumenti acervos] 1657 Boyd Fam. P. No. 235.
Hendrie Stewart … delyvered to the said Thomas Boyid … ane handfull of ilk stak of sax aitt staks and due beir stak and ane hay stak standing in the barne yaird a1699 Skene Agric. MS (see Pruf(e n. 5 (2)).
Stacke 1650 Boyd Fam. P. No. 196 (1 April).
Gives and grantis … the fourthe soume of the soumes to be hirditt wpon the saidis landis in summer and winter and the fourthe staike in winter 1696 Proclam. 9 June.
Who holds up, or girnels victuals or keeps staiks … to incurr the tinsel of moveablesfig. 1622 D. Lindesey Heavenly Chariot 38.
That sinne … bringeth foorth fruite, bringeth foorth sheaves; yea, such stoukes, such staikes [etc.]pl. 1629 Milne-Home MSS 85.
That na guidis be out of foldis or housis in the night, fra corne begin to saw till the corne yaird stoxe be steaked(3) 1456 Hay I 262/31.
Grangis, bernis or stakkis of corne, or hay or wod, or othir thingis 1478 Acta Aud. 60/2.
A stak of aitis extending to ij c & thre score of thravis of fothir a1500 Henr. Fab. 1839 (Bann.).
Sum [sc. birds] in the berne, sum in the stak of corne The ludgeing tuke 1504 Aberd. Sheriff Ct. I 48.
The stak of aits contenyng fourty bollis 1513 Doug. ii viii 108.
The corn grangis and standand stakkis of hay 1548–56 Sc. Hist. Rev. XXXIII 41.
Tua stakkis beir, extendand to ane chalder beir 1559 Crim. Trials I i 406.
[One] stak [of wheat and pease, extending to sixteen score] thravis 1629 Black Orkn. & Shetl. Folklore 78.
Ane stack of bear of sevin faddome perteining to Michaell Reid 1633 Stirlings of Keir 447.
Ane stak aittis, estimat to ten bollis with the fother a1633 Hope Major Pract. II 113.
Certane stacks and rucks of hay mawin … and stackit upon the saids lands 1645 Edinb. Test. LXI 131b.
Ane stack of wheit … ane stalk of beir c1650 Spalding II 350.
His soldiouris … kest in ane littil stak of his beir for thair horss meit 1657 Melrose Reg. Rec. I 140.
Stakecomb. 1657 Edinb. Test. LXVIII 369b.
Ane head stak of peise(4) 1553 Prot. Bk. Sir A. Gaw 32.
iii ait stakkis … ane of the stakis hes pes on the hed 1562 Prot. Bk. Gilbert Grote 53.
Ane beir stak contenand xvii thraves 1587 Carmichael Etym. 5.
Foenile, a hay stack 1589 Prot. Bk. J. Inglis 17 April.
Thre aittis stakkis 1643 Misc. Abbotsf. C. I 182.
William Kirknes in Pow, being bigging his bear stak [etc.] a1651 Calderwood IV 65.
That if Mr. James Lowson's head were as great as an hay stacke, he would cause it leape frome his hawse 1676 Kirkintilloch B. Ct. 75.
[He] gave in his complaint shewing that his corne staks wes drawne and the tedstroes and cornestalks wer lying on the rod 1681 Kirkintilloch B. Ct. 118.
Stakeattrib. 1681 Kirkintilloch B. Ct. 119.
The baillies … judges Johne Robiesonne … guiltie of this corne stake drawing

b. specif. Allusive of wealth or prosperity. a1508 Kennedy Flyt. 362.
I have land, store and stakkis 1535 Stewart 2080.
Leill lawboraris … hes left the land; Stakkis no stoir into na stait ma stand a1568 Bann. MS 94a/35.
Than … scheip and nolt mycht ly full still And stakis still mycht stand 1672 Kirkcudbr. Sheriff Ct. Processes 144.
Reduced us who had considerable stacks to nether house nor hold

2. A regularly-built pile of peats, heather, turfs or timber, chiefly for use as fuel.See also Had(d)er n. b, Hedder-stak n., Hether n. (2) and Pete-stak n. for further examples.(1) a1538 Abell 125a.
Now he ȝeid dansing and casting gamwndis about the stak takand petis out of it [etc.] 1567 Inverness Rec. I 152.
That … the said Thomas hes tane away … thre scoir laiddis turfe fra the said Andro his stak 1614 Fraserburgh Kirk S. 29a (13 Feb.).
That he had stown hir peitis from hir stak 1645 S. Leith Rec. 61.
The hether to be put in the scooll yard in a stacke(2) 1456 Hay I 262/31 (see 1 (3) above). 1498–9 Acta Conc. II 297.
A best stak of petis 1529 Wigtown B. Ct. 213a.
Fore the vranguis brakyne of his stakys of pettis 1548 Aberd. B. Rec. I 259.
Ane grit staik of vandis 1584 Edinb. B. Rec. IV 377.
Staks of hedder, … tar barrellis, burne-wod, peitts [etc.] 1621 Acts IV 627/2.
Stakkis of haither, brome, quhinnes and vther fewall Urquhart Rabelais iii lii 427.
A … Stack of timber(3) 1495 Acta Conc. I 420/2.
For the wranguis douncasting spilling and distructioun of ther pete stakkis a1538 Abell 125a.
He … passit furth before his hous quhare thare wes ane peit stak 1548–56 Sc. Hist. Rev. XXXIII 41.
Thre ky, ane hors, ane mair, ane hedder stack 1581 Edinb. B. Rec. IV 207.
Proclamatioun … dischargeing the baxteris … to big … any hedder stakis … neir to any bigget land 1581 Edinb. Test. X 69.
Ane greit turf stak estimat to x li. 1606 Edinb. Test. XLI 225.
Certane fuilȝie hed hyme and ane turf stak 1643 Banff Ann. I 89.
[Persons] quho have neither peit stak nor kaill yeard bot live … vpone vther menis guidis

3. A heap of unrefined ore. 1613 Mining Rec. 159.
Who salbe holdin to refyne his Majesteis said tent pairt of suche vre as thay thame selffis doeth fyne thair stak for the tua pairt of the siluer arrysing of the same 1646 J. Hope Diary (1958) 179.
They build it [sc. ore] in little square stackes or monts

4. ? A natural feature, a projecting mass of land, rock, etc. or ? a further example of sense 2 above, i.e. a peat-stack seen as a geographical feature. Cf. sense 5 attrib below.  1533 Boece 125b.
Sum parte of Romanis … war tranyt and cummerit amang stakkis and haggis [L. anforactus & abruptas crepidines]

5. attrib. a. In a place-name: Staikheuch, ?a place where peats were cut and stacked. Cf. 4 above. b. Stake head, the upper part or thatching of a stack; the top of a stack. Stakested, stak yaird, a rick-yard. Cf. Stakhill n.a. 1530 Acta Conc. Publ. Aff. 341.
[The inhabitants of Stakheuch or debatable lands] 1531 Acta Conc. Publ. Aff. 368.
The Irwynnis of the Staikheuch and Armstrangis duelland upon the debatable landisb. 1657 Edinb. Test. LXVIII 369b.
Tuo stake headis of peise 1688 Reg. Privy C. 3 Ser. XIII 317.
He did sie them run … but kneu none of them he being wpon a stackhead att a distance — 1642 Rothesay B. Rec. 951.
Item a lytle peice commoun at the end of Ninian Kelburne his house for ane truffe stakested —1659 Rothesay B. Rec. 980. 1666 Melrose Reg. Rec. II 154.
[He] was allwayes in possessione of the forsaid turfe stak steid — 1569 Reg. Privy C. II 33.
To teind, gadder, leid and place the saidis teind schaves in the stak yaird 1572 Reg. Privy C. II 162.
To teind, gadder, leid and place the teind schaves 1578 Reg. Privy S. VII 271/2.
Samekill coirnis and fructis as is presentlie standing in the stak yairdis of Duncanlaw 1587 Prot. Bk. J. Mason 245.
Ane stak of aittis and beir in the stakyard 1642 Rothesay B. Rec. 956.
Item ane peice land at the north end of Kelburnes yeard callit Stakyeard 1659 Rothesay B. Rec. 986.
Stake yeard 1678 Kirkcudbr. Test. (Reg. H.) 13 Aug.
Item five bolles of bear and thrie loads of corne standing in the stack yeard 1681 Kirkintilloch B. Ct. 119.
That stakeyaird whaire William Robiesonns stake wes