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stem
1[ stem ]
noun
- the ascending axis of a plant, whether above or below ground, which ordinarily grows in an opposite direction to the root or descending axis.
- the stalk that supports a leaf, flower, or fruit.
- a cut flower:
We bought roses at the flower market for 50¢ a stem.
- a stalk of bananas.
- something resembling or suggesting a leaf or flower stalk.
- a long, slender part:
the stem of a tobacco pipe.
- the slender, vertical part of a goblet, wineglass, etc., between the bowl and the base.
- Informal. a drinking glass having a stem.
- the handle of a spoon.
- a projection from the rim of a watch, having on its end a knob for winding the watch.
- the circular rod in some locks about which the key fits and rotates.
- the rod or spindle by which a valve is operated from outside.
- the stock or line of descent of a family; ancestry or pedigree.
- Grammar. the underlying form, often consisting of a root plus an affix, to which the inflectional endings of a word are added, as tend-, the stem in Latin tendere “to stretch,” the root of which is ten-. Compare base 1( def 19 ), theme ( def 5 ).
- Music. the vertical line forming part of a note.
- stems, Slang. the legs of a human being.
- the main or relatively thick stroke of a letter in printing.
verb (used with object)
- to remove the stem from (a leaf, fruit, etc.):
Stem the cherries before cooking.
verb (used without object)
- to arise or originate:
This project stems from last week's lecture.
stem
2[ stem ]
verb (used with object)
- to stop, check, or restrain.
- to dam up; stop the flow of (a stream, river, or the like).
- to tamp, plug, or make tight, as a hole or joint.
- Skiing. to maneuver (a ski or skis) in executing a stem.
- to stanch (bleeding).
verb (used without object)
- Skiing. to execute a stem.
noun
- Skiing. the act or instance of a skier pushing the heel of one or both skis outward so that the heels are far apart, as in making certain turns or slowing down.
stem
3[ stem ]
verb (used with object)
- to make headway against (a tide, current, gale, etc.).
- to make progress against (any opposition).
stem
4[ stem ]
noun
- (at the bow of a vessel) an upright into which the side timbers or plates are jointed.
- the forward part of a vessel (often opposed to stern ).
stem
5[ stem ]
verb (used with object)
- to arrange the loading of (a merchant vessel) within a specified time.
STEM
6[ stem ]
noun
- science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, considered as a group of academic or career fields (often used attributively):
degree programs in STEM disciplines;
teaching STEM in high school.
Stem
1/ stɛm /
noun
- die Stemdie Stemdi the South African national anthem until 1991, when part of it was incorporated into the current anthem, Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika See Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika
stem
2/ stɛm /
verb
- tr to restrain or stop (the flow of something) by or as if by damming up
- tr to pack tightly or stop up
- skiing to manoeuvre (a ski or skis), as in performing a stem
noun
- skiing a technique in which the heel of one ski or both skis is forced outwards from the direction of movement in order to slow down or turn
stem
3/ stɛm /
noun
- the main axis of a plant, which bears the leaves, axillary buds, and flowers and contains a hollow cylinder of vascular tissue
- any similar subsidiary structure in such plants that bears a flower, fruit, or leaf
- a corresponding structure in algae and fungi
- any long slender part, such as the hollow part of a tobacco pipe that lies between the bit and the bowl, or the support between the base and the bowl of a wineglass, goblet, etc
- a banana stalk with several bunches attached
- the main line of descent or branch of a family
- a round pin in some locks on which a socket in the end of a key fits and about which it rotates
- any projecting feature of a component: a shank or cylindrical pin or rod, such as the pin that carries the winding knob on a watch
- See rootlinguistics the form of a word that remains after removal of all inflectional affixes; the root of a word, esp as occurring together with a thematic element Compare root 1
- the main, usually vertical, stroke of a letter or of a musical note such as a minim
- electronics the tubular glass section projecting from the base of a light bulb or electronic valve, on which the filament or electrodes are mounted
- the main upright timber or structure at the bow of a vessel
- the very forward end of a vessel (esp in the phrase from stem to stern )
verb
- intrusually foll byfrom to be derived; originate
the instability stems from the war
- tr to make headway against (a tide, wind, etc)
- tr to remove or disengage the stem or stems from
- tr to supply (something) with a stem or stems
stem
/ stĕm /
- The main, often long or slender part of a plant that usually grows upward above the ground and supports other parts, such as branches and leaves. Plants have evolved a number of tissue arrangements in the stem. Seedless vascular plants (such as mosses and ferns) have primary vascular tissue in an inner core, a cylindrical ring, or individual strands scattered amid the ground tissue. In eudicots, magnoliids, and conifers, the stem develops a continuous cylindrical layer or a ring of separate bundles of vascular tissue (including secondary vascular tissue) embedded in the ground tissue. In monocots and some herbaceous eudicots, individual strands of primary vascular tissue are scattered in the ground tissue.
- A slender stalk supporting or connecting another plant part, such as a leaf or flower.
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Derived Forms
- ˈstemmer, noun
- ˈstemmer, noun
- ˈstemˌlike, adjective
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Other Words From
- stemless adjective
- stemlike adjective
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Word History and Origins
Origin of stem1
Origin of stem2
Origin of stem3
Origin of stem4
Origin of stem5
Origin of stem6
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Word History and Origins
Origin of stem1
Origin of stem2
Origin of stem3
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Idioms and Phrases
In addition to the idiom beginning with stem , also see from soup to nuts (stem to stern) .Discover More
Example Sentences
Republican legislatures are looking for any way to stem the tide, and religious exemptions are one way to do that.
The researchers first isolated a set of cells known as neural stem cells (NSCs) from the brains of rats.
In part, it may stem from what looks like an increasingly “political” Court.
Seager writes about being threatened by a patient with a shank carved out of an eyeglass stem.
Anti-vaxxers and anti-stem cell-ers come together, thanks to a recent paper linking autism to vaccines that use stem cells.
On the upper part of the stem the whorls are very close together, but they are more widely separated at the lower portion.
The upper part of the stem is usually unbranched, but whorls of branches occur towards the base.
As he spoke he wedged himself between Grandfather Mole and the stem of the toadstool umbrella.
A mushir (marshal) would find it derogatory to his dignity to smoke out of a stem less than two yards in length.
The Chukchees use a pipe similar to those of the Eskimo, but with a much larger and shorter stem.
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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