Stake

• A stake is a long, pointed object thrust into the ground. Stakes have many applications, such as demarcating a small plot of land, anchoring ropes for a tent or other portable structure, or slowly releasing fertilizer to aid the growth of plants.
• In folklore and mythology, a wooden stake, along with a silver bullet, have special powers to kill monsters. See Vampire; Werewolf.
• In Mormonism, a stake is an organizational unit made up of several local congregations, led by a Stake President. See Stake (Mormonism).
• In Christianity, a stake was a pole to which people accused of witchcraft (usually marginalized women) were tied and "burned at the stake". See Execution by burning.