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stemless

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stem

1   [stem] ,noun, verb, stemmed, stem·ming.
noun
1.
the ascending axis of a plant, whether above or below ground, which ordinarily grows in an opposite direction to the root or descending axis.
2.
the stalk that supports a leaf, flower, or fruit.
3.
the main body of that portion of a tree, shrub, or other plant which is above ground; trunk; stalk.
4.
a cut flower: We bought roses at the flower market for 50¢ a stem.
5.
a petiole; peduncle; pedicel.
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6.
a stalk of bananas.
7.
something resembling or suggesting a leaf or flower stalk.
8.
a long, slender part: the stem of a tobacco pipe.
9.
the slender, vertical part of a goblet, wineglass, etc., between the bowl and the base.
10.
Informal. a drinking glass having a stem.
11.
the handle of a spoon.
12.
a projection from the rim of a watch, having on its end a knob for winding the watch.
13.
the circular rod in some locks about which the key fits and rotates.
14.
the rod or spindle by which a valve is operated from outside.
15.
the stock or line of descent of a family; ancestry or pedigree.
16.
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 base1 (def. 18), theme (def. 5).
17.
Music. the vertical line forming part of a note.
18.
stems, Slang. the legs of a human being.
19.
the main or relatively thick stroke of a letter in printing.
COLLAPSE
Stemless Wine Glasses www.wineenthusiast.com Exquisite Wine Stemless Glassware. Shop & Save at Wine Enthusiast®.
Ad
verb (used with object)
20.
to remove the stem from (a leaf, fruit, etc.): Stem the cherries before cooking.

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Stemless is always a great word to know.
So is doohickey. Does it mean:
a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.
an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.
LEARN MORE UNUSUAL WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...
verb (used without object)
21.
to arise or originate: This project stems from last week's lecture.
Origin:
before 900; Middle English; Old English stemn, stefn, equivalent to ste- (variant of sta-, base of standan to stand) + -mn- suffix; akin to German Stamm stem, tribe; see staff1

Related forms
stem·less, adjective
stem·like, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

stem
"to hold back," c.1300, from O.N. stemma "to stop," from P.Gmc. *stamjan (cf. Swed. stämma, O.S. stemmian, M.Du. stemon, Ger. stemmen "stop, resist, oppose"), from PIE base *stem- "to strike against something" (cf. Lith. stumiu "thrust, push"). Phrase to stem the tide is lit. "to hold back the
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tide," but often is confused with stem (v.) in sense of "to make headway against, head in a certain course" (late 14c.), which is from stem (n.)).
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

stem (stěm)
n.
A supporting structure resembling the stalk of a plant.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
stem   (stěm)  Pronunciation Key 

  1. 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.

  2. A slender stalk supporting or connecting another plant part, such as a leaf or flower.


The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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