A stake was a strong metal or wooden stick or pole with a sharpened end that was driven into the ground as a marker or a support for something. The term "stake out", which was derived from the traditional use of stakes to mark the boundaries of one's territory, could also be used metaphorically to say that one lays claim to something.
When Captain Jean-Luc Picard negotiated the reintegration of the Mariposans and the Bringloidi between Wilson Granger and Danilo Odell, which required that each female had at least three children by three different men, Odell heartily agreed, and left the negotiation table, stating, "now, let's go and stake out my three women." (TNG: "Up The Long Ladder")
In 2369, Julian Bashir commented that Jadzia Dax had metaphorically driven a stake through his heart by not showing interest in him. (DS9: "If Wishes Were Horses")
In the Vori training simulation experienced by Chakotay, the Kradin used neck-strapping against captured Vori, which was described as "staked to the dirt up and upturned." (VOY: "Nemesis")