Emily Dickinson Lexicon

pile (-s), n. [Fr. pile, heap, pyramid, mass of masonry, pier of a bridge < L. pīla, pillar, pier, mole of stone.] (webplay: balls, earth, lesser, rising, side, soft, stamping, stones, top).

1. Heap; mass; collection; group; clump; stack; accumulation.
2. Fire pit; funeral pyre; mound of combustible material upon which a dead body or sacrifice is burned.