Stem Definition

stĕm
stemmed, stemming, stems
noun
stems
The main ascending part of a plant; a stalk or trunk.
American Heritage
A slender stalk supporting or connecting another plant part, such as a leaf or flower.
American Heritage
A banana stalk bearing several bunches of bananas.
American Heritage
A connecting or supporting part, especially:
American Heritage
The main line of descent of a family.
American Heritage
Antonyms:
verb
stemmed, stemming, stems
To have or take origin or descent.
Her success stems mostly from hard work.
American Heritage
To remove the stem of.
Stemmed the apples.
American Heritage
To provide with a stem.
Wine glasses that are stemmed.
American Heritage
To make headway against (a tide or current, for example).
American Heritage
To stop or stanch (a flow).
Stemmed the bleeding.
American Heritage
Antonyms:
abbreviation
Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
American Heritage Medicine
idiom
from stem to stern
  • From one end to another.
American Heritage

Other Word Forms of Stem

Noun

Singular:
stem
Plural:
stems

Idioms, Phrasal Verbs Related to Stem

Origin of Stem

  • From Old Norse stemma (“to stop, stem, dam") (whence Danish stemme/stæmme (“to stem, dam up")), from Proto-Germanic *stammijanÄ…. Cognate with German stemmen; compare stammer.

    From Wiktionary

  • Old English stemn, stefn (“stem, trunk (of a tree)"), from Proto-Germanic *stamniz.

    From Wiktionary

  • Middle English from Old English stefn, stemn stā- in Indo-European roots

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • Middle English stemmen from Old Norse stemma

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

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