Pile, n.
 1. A mass of things heaped together; a heap; as, a pile of stones; a pile of wood.
 2. A mass formed in layers; as, a pile of shot.
 3. A funeral pile; a pyre.
 4. A large building, or mass of buildings.
    The pile o'erlooked the town and drew the fight.   --Dryden.
 5. Iron Manuf. Same as Fagot, n., 2.
 6. Elec. A vertical series of alternate disks of two dissimilar metals, as copper and zinc, laid up with disks of cloth or paper moistened with acid water between them, for producing a current of electricity; -- commonly called Volta's pile, voltaic pile, or galvanic pile.
 Note: ☞ The term is sometimes applied to other forms of apparatus designed to produce a current of electricity, or as synonymous with battery; as, for instance, to an apparatus for generating a current of electricity by the action of heat, usually called a thermopile.
 7.  The reverse of a coin. See Reverse.
 Cross and pile. See under Cross.
 Dry pile. See under Dry.


 Gal·van·ic a.  Of or pertaining to, or exhibiting the phenomena of, galvanism; employing or producing electrical currents.
 Galvanic battery Elec., an apparatus for generating electrical currents by the mutual action of certain liquids and metals; -- now usually called voltaic battery. See Battery.
 Galvanic circuit or Galvanic circle. Elec. See under Circuit.
 Galvanic pile Elec., the voltaic pile. See under Voltaic.

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 galvanic pile
      n : battery consisting of voltaic cells arranged in series; the
          earliest electric battery devised by Volta [syn: {voltaic
          pile, pile]