Etymology Map
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Stack

3 stages from Old Norse to English.

Today it means a pile of things placed one on top of another

Where does the word "stack" come from? It comes from Old Norse stakkr, passing through Middle English before entering English (1500s).

1
Stage 1 of 3
stakkr
Old Norse · medieval
"haystack"
a haystack
2
Stage 2 of 3
stak
Middle English · 1300s
"pile of hay"
borrowed in the Danelaw of northern England
3
Stage 3 of 3
stack
English · 1500s
"pile"
Orkney's and Shetland's pillar-rocks are still called sea stacks
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Read the full story

Stack’s story begins in Old Norse: stakkr meant “haystack.” A haystack. By 1300s, the word had taken hold in Middle English as stak. Borrowed in the Danelaw of northern England. It reached English by 1500s as stack. Orkney's and Shetland's pillar-rocks are still called sea stacks. Today, stack means a pile of things placed one on top of another.