Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition

Stem

Stem

(stĕm)
,
Noun.
[AS.
stemn
,
stefn
,
staefn
; akin to OS.
stamn
the stem of a ship, D.
stam
stem,
steven
stem of a ship, G.
stamm
stem,
steven
stem of a ship, Icel.
stafn
,
stamn
, stem of a ship,
stofn
,
stomn
, stem, Sw.
stam
a tree trunk, Dan.
stamme
. Cf.
Staff
,
Stand
.]
1.
The principal body of a tree, shrub, or plant, of any kind; the main stock; the part which supports the branches or the head or top.
After they are shot up thirty feet in length, they spread a very large top, having no bough nor twig in the trunk or the
stem
.
Sir W. Raleigh.
The lowering spring, with lavish rain,
Beats down the slender
stem
and breaded grain.
Dryden.
2.
A little branch which connects a fruit, flower, or leaf with a main branch; a peduncle, pedicel, or petiole;
as, the
stem
of an apple or a cherry
.
3.
The stock of a family; a race or generation of progenitors.
“All that are of noble stem.”
Milton.
While I do pray, learn here thy
stem

And true descent.
Herbert.
4.
A branch of a family.
This is a
stem

Of that victorious stock.
Shakespeare
5.
(Naut.)
A curved piece of timber to which the two sides of a ship are united at the fore end. The lower end of it is scarfed to the keel, and the bowsprit rests upon its upper end. Hence, the forward part of a vessel; the bow.
6.
Fig.: An advanced or leading position; the lookout.
Wolsey sat at the
stem
more than twenty years.
Fuller.
7.
Anything resembling a stem or stalk;
as, the
stem
of a tobacco pipe; the
stem
of a watch case, or that part to which the ring, by which it is suspended, is attached.
8.
(Bot.)
That part of a plant which bears leaves, or rudiments of leaves, whether rising above ground or wholly subterranean.
9.
(Zool.)
(a)
The entire central axis of a feather.
(b)
The basal portion of the body of one of the Pennatulacea, or of a gorgonian.
10.
(Mus.)
The short perpendicular line added to the body of a note; the tail of a crotchet, quaver, semiquaver, etc.
11.
(Gram.)
The part of an inflected word which remains unchanged (except by euphonic variations) throughout a given inflection; theme; base.
From stem to stern
(Naut.)
,
from one end of the ship to the other, or through the whole length.
–
Stem leaf
(Bot.)
,
a leaf growing from the stem of a plant, as contrasted with a basal or radical leaf.

Stem

,
Verb.
T.
1.
To remove the stem or stems from;
as, to
stem
cherries
; to remove the stem and its appendages (ribs and veins) from;
as, to
stem
tobacco leaves
.
2.
To ram, as clay, into a blasting hole.

Stem

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Stemmed
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Stemming
.]
[Either from
stem
, n., or akin to
stammer
; cf. G.
stemmen
to press against.]
To oppose or cut with, or as with, the stem of a vessel; to resist, or make progress against; to stop or check the flow of, as a current.
“An argosy to stem the waves.”
Shak.
[They]
stem
the flood with their erected breasts.
Denham.
Stemmed
the wild torrent of a barbarous age.
Pope.

Stem

,
Verb.
I.
To move forward against an obstacle, as a vessel against a current.
Stemming
nightly toward the pole.
Milton.

Webster 1828 Edition

Stem

STEM

,
Noun.
[G., stock, stem, race. The primary sense is to set, to fix.]
1.
The principal body of a tree, shrub or plant of any kind; the main stock; the firm part which supports the branches.
After thy are shot up thirty feet in length, they spread a very large top, having no bough or twig on the stem.
The lowring spring with lavish rain, beats down the slender stem and bearded grain.
2.
The peduncle of the fructification, or the pedicle of a flower; that which supports the flower or the fruit of a planet.
3.
The stock of a family; a race or generation of progenitors; as a noble stem.
Learn well their lineage and their ancient stem.
4.
Progeny; branch of a family.
Of that victorious stock.
5.
In a ship, a circular piece of timber, to which the two sides of a ship are united at the fore end. The lower end of it is scarfed to the keel, and the bowsprit rests upon its upper end. From stem to stern, is from one end of the ship to the other, or through the whole length.

STEM

,
Verb.
T.
1.
To oppose or resist, as a current; or to make progress against a current. We say, the ship was not able with all her sails to stem the tide.
They stem the flood with their erected breasts.
2.
To stop; to check; as a stream or moving force.
At length Erasmus, that great injurd name, stemmd the wild torrent of a barbrous age, and drove those holy Vandals off the stage.

Definition 2024

stem

stem

See also: STEM

English

Noun

stem ‎(plural stems)

  1. The stock of a family; a race or generation of progenitors.
    • Milton
      all that are of noble stem
    • Herbert
      While I do pray, learn here thy stem / And true descent.
  2. A branch of a family.
    • Shakespeare
      This is a stem / Of that victorious stock.
  3. An advanced or leading position; the lookout.
    • Fuller
      Wolsey sat at the stem more than twenty years.
  4. (botany) The above-ground stalk (technically axis) of a vascular plant, and certain anatomically similar, below-ground organs such as rhizomes, bulbs, tubers, and corms.
    • Sir Walter Raleigh
      After they are shot up thirty feet in length, they spread a very large top, having no bough nor twig in the trunk or the stem.
  5. A slender supporting member of an individual part of a plant such as a flower or a leaf; also, by analogy, the shaft of a feather.
    the stem of an apple or a cherry
    • 2013 May-June, William E. Conner, “An Acoustic Arms Race”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 3, page 206-7:
      Earless ghost swift moths become “invisible” to echolocating bats by forming mating clusters close (less than half a meter) above vegetation and effectively blending into the clutter of echoes that the bat receives from the leaves and stems around them.
  6. A narrow part on certain man-made objects, such as a wine glass, a tobacco pipe, a spoon.
  7. (linguistics) The main part of an uninflected word to which affixes may be added to form inflections of the word. A stem often has a more fundamental root. Systematic conjugations and declensions derive from their stems.
  8. (typography) A vertical stroke of a letter.
  9. (music) A vertical stroke marking the length of a note in written music.
  10. (nautical) The vertical or nearly vertical forward extension of the keel, to which the forward ends of the planks or strakes are attached.
  11. Component on a bicycle that connects the handlebars to the bicycle fork
  12. (anatomy) A part of an anatomic structure considered without its possible branches or ramifications.
  13. (slang) A crack pipe.
Synonyms
Derived terms
Translations

Verb

stem ‎(third-person singular simple present stems, present participle stemming, simple past and past participle stemmed)

  1. To remove the stem from.
    to stem cherries; to stem tobacco leaves
  2. To be caused or derived; to originate.
    The current crisis stems from the short-sighted politics of the previous government.
  3. To descend in a family line.
  4. To direct the stem (of a ship) against; to make headway against.
  5. (obsolete) To hit with the stem of a ship; to ram.
    • 1596, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, IV.ii:
      As when two warlike Brigandines at sea, / With murdrous weapons arm'd to cruell fight, / Doe meete together on the watry lea, / They stemme ech other with so fell despight, / That with the shocke of their owne heedlesse might, / Their wooden ribs are shaken nigh a sonder […]
  6. To ram (clay, etc.) into a blasting hole.
Synonyms
  • (to originate, stem from): to be due to, to arise from
Translations

Etymology 2

From Old Norse stemma ‎(“to stop, stem, dam”) (whence Danish stemme/stæmme ‎(“to stem, dam up”)), from Proto-Germanic *stammijaną. Cognate with German stemmen, Middle Dutch stemmen, stempen. Compare stammer.

Verb

stem ‎(third-person singular simple present stems, present participle stemming, simple past and past participle stemmed)

  1. To stop, hinder (for instance, a river or blood).
    to stem a tide
    • Denham
      [They] stem the flood with their erected breasts.
    • Alexander Pope
      Stemmed the wild torrent of a barbarous age.
  2. (skiing) To move the feet apart and point the tips of the skis inward in order to slow down the speed or to facilitate a turn.
Synonyms
  • See also Wikisaurus:hinder
Translations

Etymology 3

Noun

stem ‎(plural stems)

  1. Alternative form of steem

Etymology 4

Acronym of science, technology, engineering, (and) mathematics.

Noun

stem ‎(plural stems)

  1. Alternative form of STEM
    • 2015 May 29th, BBC News, How do US black students perform at school?"
      Stem (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields are a particular cause for concern because within them there are more pronounced stereotypes, extreme competitiveness and gender inequities regarding the abilities and competencies of black male and female students.

Anagrams

Afrikaans

Etymology

From Dutch stem (noun) and stemmen (verb).

Noun

stem ‎(plural stemme)

  1. vote

Verb

stem ‎(present stem, present participle stemmende, past participle gestem)

  1. to vote

Dutch

Pronunciation

  • Rhymes: -ɛm
  • IPA(key): /stɛm/

Etymology

From Old Dutch *stemma, from Proto-Germanic *stebnō, *stamnijō. Under influence of Latin vox ‎(“voice, word”), it acquired the now obsolete sense of "word".

Noun

stem f ‎(plural stemmen, diminutive stemmetje n)

  1. voice, sound made by the mouth using airflow
  2. vote
  3. (obsolete) word
  4. (phonetics) voice, property formed by vibration of the vocal cords

Verb

stem

  1. first-person singular present indicative of stemmen
  2. imperative of stemmen

Anagrams

Latin

Verb

stem

  1. first-person singular present active subjunctive of stō

Norwegian Bokmål

Verb

stem

  1. imperative of stemme

Tok Pisin

Etymology

From English stamp.

Noun

stem

  1. stamp

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

  • enPR: stĕm, IPA(key): /stɛm/
  • Rhymes: -ɛm

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