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   stem

   /stɛm/

   noun

   • 1. the main body or stalk of a plant or shrub, typically rising above ground but occasionally subterranean. Similar trunkstalkstockcanetechnical:peduncle
   • ▪ the stalk supporting a fruit, flower, or leaf, and attaching it to a larger branch, twig, or stalk. Similar stalkshoottwigtechnical:binepedicelpetiolepeduncleaxis
   • 2. a long, thin supportive or main section of something: "the main stem of the wing feathers"
   • ▪ the slender part of a wine glass between the base and the bowl: "her fingers tightened on the stem of her glass"
   • ▪ the tube of a tobacco pipe: "Stanley eyed his father over the stem of his pipe"
   • ▪ a rod or cylinder in a mechanism, for example the sliding shaft of a bolt or the winding pin of a watch: "the stem of the bolt edged clear"
   • ▪ a vertical stroke in a letter or musical note.
   • 3. the root or main part of a word, to which inflections or formative elements are added.
   • ▪ the main line of descent of a family or nation: archaic, literary "the Hellenic tribes were derived from the Aryan stem"
   • 4. the main upright timber or metal piece at the bow of a ship, to which the ship's sides are joined at the front end: "the spines and bow stems of abandoned hulks"
   • 5. a pipe used for smoking crack or opium. informal US

   verb

   • 1. originate in or be caused by: "many of the universities' problems stem from rapid expansion"
   • 2. remove the stems from (fruit or tobacco leaves): "her aunt and her mother were stemming currants on the side porch"
   • 3. (of a boat) make headway against (the tide or current): "if the wind will only freshen a little, we shall be able to stem the first of the flood"

   Word Origin Old Englishstemn, stefn, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch stam and German Stamm. stem1 (sense 4 of the noun) is related to Dutch steven, German Steven.

   Derivatives

   • 1. stemless adjective
   • 2. stemlike adjective

   Scrabble Points: 6

   • S

     1

   • T

     1

   • E

     1

   • M

     3

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