Etymology From Middle English hepe, from Old English hēap, from Proto-West Germanic *haup, from Proto-Germanic *haupaz (compare Dutch hoop, German Low German Hupen, German Haufen), from Proto-Indo-European *koupos (“hill”) (compare Lithuanian kaũpas, Albanian qipi (“stack”), Avestan 𐬐𐬂𐬟𐬀 (kåfa)).
A crowd; a throng; a multitude or great number of people.
A Heap of Vassals, and Slaues: […] A People that is without Naturall Affection, […] A Nation without Morality, without Letters, Arts, or Sciences1622 (date written), Francis [Bacon], “An Advertisement Touching an Holy Warre. […]”, in William Rawley, editor, Certaine Miscellany Works of the Right Honourable Francis Lo. Verulam, Viscount S. Alban. […], London: […] I. Hauiland for Humphrey Robinson, […], published 1629, →OCLC, page 104:
He had plenty of friends, heaps of friends in the parliamentary sense1858, Anthony Trollope, Doctor Thorne. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), London: Chapman & Hall, […], →OCLC:
2
A pile or mass; a collection of things laid in a body, or thrown together so as to form an elevation.
a heap of earth; a heap of stones
Huge heaps of slain around the body rise.1697, Virgil, “(please specify the book number)”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC:
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Every break seemed dangerous and Falcao clearly had the beating of Amorebieta. Others, being forced to stretch a foot behind them to control Arda Turan's 34th-minute cross, might simply have lashed a shot on the turn; Falcao, though, twisted back on to his left foot, leaving Amorebieta in a heap, and thumped in an inevitable finish – his 12th goal in 15 European matches this season.2012 May 9, Jonathan Wilson, “Europa League: Radamel Falcao's Atlético Madrid rout Athletic Bilbao”, in the Guardian:
3
A great number or large quantity of things.
a vast heap, both of places of scripture and quotations1679, Gilbert Burnet, The History of the Reformation of the Church of England:
I have noticed a heap of things in my life.1878, Robert Louis Stevenson, Will o' the Mill:
4
Computing, Engineering, Mathematics, Natural sciences, Physical sciences, Sciences A data structure consisting of trees in which each node is greater than all its children.
Chuffy: It's on a knife edge at the moment, Bertie. If he can get planning permission, old Stoker's going to take this heap off my hands in return for vast amounts of oof.1991 May 12, “Kidnapped!”, in Jeeves and Wooster, Series 2, Episode 5:
[W]e went to the play, and Pen was struck all of a heap with Miss Fotheringay … And he’s fallen in love with her—and I’m blessed if he hasn’t proposed to her […]1848 November – 1850 December, William Makepeace Thackeray, chapter 10, in The History of Pendennis. […], volume (please specify |volume=I or II), London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1849–1850, →OCLC:
Etymology From Middle English hepe, from Old English hēap, from Proto-West Germanic *haup, from Proto-Germanic *haupaz (compare Dutch hoop, German Low German Hupen, German Haufen), from Proto-Indo-European *koupos (“hill”) (compare Lithuanian kaũpas, Albanian qipi (“stack”), Avestan 𐬐𐬂𐬟𐬀 (kåfa)).
1
To pile in a heap.
He heaped the laundry upon the bed and began folding.
2
To form or round into a heap, as in measuring.
Cry a reward, to him who shall first bring News of that vanished Arabian, A full-heap’d helmet of the purest gold.1819, John Keats, Otho the Great, act I, scene II, verses 40-42:
3
To supply in great quantity.
They heaped praise upon their newest hero.
Then, in January, a creeping tsunami of train cancellations, triggered by major staff absences as a result of the aggressive transmissibility of Omicron, heaped further misery on rail users.2022 January 12, Nigel Harris, “Comment: Unhappy start to 2022”, in RAIL, number 948, page 3:
Etymology From Middle English hepe, from Old English hēap, from Proto-West Germanic *haup, from Proto-Germanic *haupaz (compare Dutch hoop, German Low German Hupen, German Haufen), from Proto-Indo-European *koupos (“hill”) (compare Lithuanian kaũpas, Albanian qipi (“stack”), Avestan 𐬐𐬂𐬟𐬀 (kåfa)).
1
Offensive, Possibly very or much; representing broken English stereotypically or comically attributed to Native Americans
Chuckaway too no good. Heap water, little chuckaway. Heap sticks, and still little chuckaway.1895, Annie Maria Barnes, Matouchon: A Story of Indian Child Life, page 175:
We are all familiar with the stereotyped broken English which writers of Western stories, comic strips, and similar literature put into the mouths of Indians: 'me heap big chief', 'you like um fire water', and so forth.1980, Joey Lee Dillard, Perspectives on American English, page 417:
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Once upon a time, a Scotsman, an Englishman, and an Irishman are captured by the Red Indians […] He approaches the Englishman, pinches the skin of his upper arm, and says, "Hmmm, heap good skin, nice and thick.2004, John Robert Colombo, The Penguin Book of Canadian Jokes, page 175: