Heaps: meaning, definitions and examples
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heaps
[ hiːps ]
large pile
Heaps refer to large, untidy piles of things. They can be made up of various materials and are typically used in contexts where items are stacked or accumulated in great quantities.
Synonyms
collections, loads, mounds, piles.
Examples of usage
- There were heaps of clothes on the floor.
- We found heaps of leaves after the storm.
- He stared at the heaps of paper on his desk.
- The children built heaps of sand at the beach.
computing
In computing, heaps refer to a specific kind of memory structure that enables dynamic memory allocation. This structure allows different parts of programs to request and release memory as needed, making it essential for resource management in programming.
Synonyms
allocation structure, memory pool.
Examples of usage
- The application crashed due to a heap overflow.
- Using heaps in data structures can improve efficiency.
- Garbage collection handles unused heaps in memory.
- Heaps are crucial in implementing priority queues.
Etymology
The word 'heap' originates from the Old English term 'hæep', which is related to the Proto-Germanic word '*haupa', meaning a pile or load. The usage has evolved over centuries, maintaining the essence of a large, accumulated mass of items. In Middle English, it was spelled as 'hype', and it was further influenced by similar words in Germanic languages. The evolution reflects the general principle of gathering and stacking, which is inherent in the meaning of heaps as synonymous with accumulation. Its usage in computing began in the late 20th century as programmers and developers started to require methods for managing memory dynamically, leading to the incorporation of 'heap' in technical jargon.