Stashes

Part of speech: noun, verb

Definitions

1. To securely hide away or store various items out of sight; to collect and keep possessions in a manner that avoids detection; a range of stored valuables that are intentionally concealed from others
2. To put items away secretly to keep them safe ; a secret collection of things kept hidden for future use
3. To conceal possessions carefully to avoid discovery ; a concealed cache or reserve of goods

Etymology: "Stashes" is the third-person singular present form of "stash," so its history is that of the verb. The origin of "stash" itself is uncertain. One suggestion is that it blends "stick" with "cache," the hidden store of supplies, while another proposes a blend of "stow" and "cache." Both theories treat the word as a fusion of two existing terms rather than a fresh coinage. The most surprising twist comes from an unrelated word. "Stash" is also an apheretic clipping of "mustache," meaning the first sounds were lost over time, leaving the shorter form. Readers who associate the word with hidden money or contraband may be startled to learn it shares a shape with a word for facial hair, though the two are likely separate in origin and the clipping relationship concerns the lost initial syllable.

Synonyms: hoards, stores, reserves

Antonyms: disperses, distributes