grubstake

American  

[gruhb-steyk] / ˈgrʌbˌsteɪk /

noun

1. provisions, gear, etc., furnished to a prospector on condition of participating in the profits of any discoveries.

2. money or other assistance furnished at a time of need or of starting an enterprise.

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verb (used with object)

grubstaked, grubstaking

1. to furnish with a grubstake.

   I grubstaked him to two mules and supplies enough for five months.

grubstake British  

/ ˈɡrʌbˌsteɪk /

noun

1. informal supplies provided for a prospector on the condition that the donor has a stake in any finds

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verb

1. informal to furnish with such supplies

2. to supply (a person) with a stake in a gambling game

Other Word Forms

• grubstaker noun

Etymology

Origin of grubstake

An Americanism dating back to 1860–65; grub + stake ²

Example Sentences

With a $50 grubstake from her father, Ms. Bündchen set off alone on a 28-hour bus ride to São Paulo and an improbable lifelong journey.

From New York Times • May 14, 2016

Both, as it happens, were attributes prized by Charles Lewis Tiffany, who helped found a store that sold stationery and fancy goods in 1837 with a $1,000 grubstake from his father.

From New York Times • Apr. 15, 2015

At the firm's start in 1985, Schwarzman and co-founder Peter G. Peterson shared a secretary and oversaw a grubstake of just $400,000.

From BusinessWeek • May 7, 2009

Only occasionally has he struck out at Nixon as a "prospector from the Potomac, trying to acquire a grubstake to get him and his family back to the East Coast."

From Time Magazine Archive

He told Westerberg he planned on staying until April 15, just long enough to put together a grubstake.

From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer