A data structure that stores information about the active functions in a program, tracking which function called which and where to return control when each function completes. It operates on a Last-In-First-Out (LIFO) principle.
Combines 'call' from Old Norse 'kalla' (to cry out) and 'stack' from Old Norse 'stakkr' (haystack). The computing term emerged in the 1950s when programmers needed to track function calls, likening it to a stack of plates where the last one added is the first removed.
The call stack is like a stack of sticky notes where you write down what you were doing before starting a new task. When you finish the current task, you look at the top note to remember what to do next - and that's exactly how your program remembers where to return after each function call!
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