stem

See also STEM

English

Wikipedia

Pronunciation

• enPR: stĕm, IPA: /stɛm/, X-SAMPA: /stEm/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛm

Etymology 1

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

Noun

stem (plural stems)

1. (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.
2. A slender supporting member of an individual part of a plant such as a flower or a leaf; also, by analogue the shaft of a feather.
3. A narrow part on certain man-made objects, such as a wine glass, a tobacco pipe, a spoon.
4. (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.
5. (typography) A vertical stroke of a letter.
6. (music) A vertical stroke of a symbol representing a note in written music.
7. (nautical) The vertical or nearly vertical forward extension of the keel, to which the forward ends of the planks or strakes are attached.

Derived terms

Terms derived from stem (noun)

brain stem from stem to stern

stem cell stemless

stemplot unstemmed

Translations

botany: above-ground stalk of a vascular plant

• Armenian: ցողուն (hy) (c’oġun) 
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 莖 (cmn), 茎 (cmn) (jīng), 樹幹 (cmn), 树干 (cmn) (shùgàn)

• Dutch: stam (nl) m, stengel (nl) m, steel (nl) m
• Finnish: varsi (fi), runko (fi)
• French: tige (fr) f
• Georgian: please add this translation if you can
• German: Stamm (de) m
• Hebrew: גִּבְעוֹל (he) m
• Hungarian: szár (hu), törzs (hu)
• Italian: ceppo (it) m, fusto (it), tronco (it)
• Japanese: (flower, glass) 茎 (ja) (kuki); (trunk) 幹 (ja) (miki)
• Jèrriais: tigue f

• Latvian: stiebrs (lv) m, stiebrs (lv)
• Lithuanian: stiebas (lt)
• Macedonian: страк (mk) (strak) m, стебло (mk) (stéblo) n, дршка (mk) (d’rška) f
• Maori: tā (mi), tātā (mi)
• Portuguese: caule (pt)
• Romanian: tulpină (ro) f
• Russian: ствол (ru) (stvol) m  (of a tree), стебель (ru) (stébelʹ) m 
• Slovak: steblo (sk) n
• Spanish: tallo (es)
• Swahili: shina (sw)
• Swedish: stjälk (sv) c
• Thai: ก้าน (th) (gâan)

slender supporting member for an individual part of a plant

• Finnish: vana (fi), kukkavana (fi), kukkavarsi (fi), lehtiruoti (fi)
• German: Stängel (de) m
• Hungarian: szár (hu)
• Italian: gambo (it) m, picciolo (it) m, peduncolo (it) m, stelo (it) m
• Japanese: (flower) 茎 (ja) (kuki); (leaf, feather) 軸 (ja) (jiku)
• Macedonian: страк (mk) (strak) m, стебло (mk) (stéblo) n, дршка (mk) (d’rška) f

• Maori: tā (mi), tātā (mi), tātā (mi)
• Russian: черенок (ru) (čerenók) m  (of a leaf or fruit), цветоножка (ru) (cvetonóžka) f  (of a flower), плодоножка (ru) (plodonóžka) f  (of a fruit)
• Slovak: stonka (sk) f
• Swedish: stjälk (sv) c
• Thai: ก้าน (th) (gâan)

narrow supporting structure on certain man-made objects

• Finnish: jalka (fi), varsi (fi), kanta (fi)
• Hungarian: szár (hu)
• Italian: gambo (it) m, stelo (it) m

• Japanese: (wine glass, tobacco pipe) 軸 (ja) (jiku); (spoon) 柄 (ja) (e)
• Macedonian: дршка (mk) (d'rška) f
• Russian: стержень (ru) (stérženʹ) m 

linguistics: main part of a word

• Bulgarian: please add this translation if you can
• Czech: kmen (cs) m
• Dutch: stam (nl) m, grondwoord (nl) n
• Finnish: vartalo (fi)
• French: racine (fr) f, radical (fr) m
• Georgian: please add this translation if you can
• German: Wortstamm (de) m, Stamm (de) m
• Greek: θέμα (el) (théma) n 
• Hungarian: tő (hu), szótő (hu), igető (hu)
• Italian: radice (it) f, radicale (it) m, tema (it) m

• Japanese: 語幹 (ja) (gokan)
• Macedonian: основа (mk) (ósnova) f
• Polish: rdzeń (pl) m
• Portuguese: raiz (pt) f
• Romanian: please add this translation if you can
• Russian: основа (ru) (osnóva) f 
• Slovak: koreň (sk) m
• Spanish: raíz (es) f
• Swedish: ordstam (sv) c, stam (sv) c
• Turkish: please add this translation if you can

typography: vertical stroke of a letter

• Finnish: pystyviiva (fi)

• Russian: ножка (ru) (nóžka) f 

music: vertical stroke of a symbol representing a note in written music

• Finnish: varsi (fi)
• Italian: asta (it) f, gamba (it) f

• Swedish: notskaft (sv) n

nautical: forward vertical extension of the keel

• Danish: stævn (da)
• Finnish: keulavannas (fi), kokkapuu (fi), steevi (fi)
• French: étrave (fr) f
• German: Vordersteven (de) m
• Italian: prua (it)

• Jèrriais: êtâne
• Russian: нос (ru) (nos) m , форштевень (ru) (forštévenʹ) m 
• Slovak: prova (sk) f
• Swedish: stäv (sv)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

• Mandarin: 茎 (jìng); 詞根, 词根 (cí gēn)
• Georgian: ტარი (ka) (tari) , ღერო (ka) (ḡero) 
• German: Stiel m (2)
• Greek: μίσχος (mískhos) m
• Hebrew: גבעול (giv'ol) m

• Korean: 줄기 (julgi)
• Portuguese: haste m
• Spanish: vástago m, tallo m
• Swedish: stam c (5); skaft n (2,7); fot c (3,4); stapel c (6)

Verb

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

1. To take out the stem from.
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 [...].

Translations

to take out the stem from something

• Finnish: poistaa varsi
• Hungarian: szárától megfoszt (hu), szártalanít (hu)
• Russian: отделять (ru) (otdeljátʹ)  (черенки́)

• Slovak: koreniť (sk)
• Swedish: härleda (sv), ta (sv) ut (sv) stam (sv)

to be caused

• Finnish: olla peräisin (fi), johtua (fi), aiheutua (fi), periytyä (fi)
• German: kommen von (de), herrühren von (de)
• Hungarian: ered (hu)
• Italian: derivare (da) (it)
• Japanese: 発端とする (ja) (hottan to suru)
• Macedonian: потекнува (mk) (potéknuva)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: forårsake (nb)

• Polish: wywodzić się
• Portuguese: derivar (pt), originar (pt)
• Russian: происходить (ru) (proisxodítʹ)  impf., произойти (ru) (proizojtí)  pf.
• Slovak: byť sposobený (sk), byť zapríčinený (sk), koreniť (sk)
• Spanish: arrancar (es), venir de (es), proceder de (es)
• Swedish: stamma (sv), härstamma (sv), härröra (sv)

to descend

• Czech: pocházet (cs)
• Finnish: polveutua (fi)
• German: stammen (de), abstammen (de)
• Hungarian: származik (hu)
• Italian: discendere (it)
• Macedonian: потекнува (mk) (potéknuva)

• Portuguese: descender (pt) m
• Russian: происходить (ru) (proisxodítʹ)  impf., произойти (ru) (proizojtí)  pf.
• Slovak: pochádzať (sk)
• Spanish: descender (es)
• Swedish: stamma (sv)

Etymology 2

From Old Norse stemma (“to stop, stem, dam”) ( > Danish stemme/stæmme (“to stem, dam up”)), from Proto-Germanic *stamjan. Cognate with German stemmen; 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

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

• (to originate, stem from): to be due to, to arise from
• See also Wikisaurus:hinder

Translations

to stop, hinder

• Dutch: stoppen (nl), hinderen (nl), stelpen (nl)
• Finnish: padota (fi), seisauttaa (fi), tyrehdyttää (fi)
• French: arrêter (fr)
• German: aufhalten (de), hemmen (de)
• Hungarian: elállít (hu), leállít (hu), meggátol (hu), megakaszt (hu)
• Italian: arrestare (it)

• Japanese: 堰止める (ja) (sekitomeru)
• Polish: tamować (pl)
• Russian: противиться (ru) (protívitʹsja) , задерживать (ru) (zadérživatʹ) , оказывать сопротивление (ru) (okázyvatʹ soprotivlénije) , препятствовать (ru) (prepjátstvovatʹ) 
• Swedish: stoppa (sv), hejda (sv), hindra (sv), stämma (sv), dämma (sv)

skiing: to point the skis inward

• Finnish: aurata (fi)
• Hungarian: fékez (hu)
• Italian: aprire lo spazzaneve

• Japanese: シュテムする (ja) (shutemu suru)
• Russian: тормозить "плугом" (ru) (tormozítʹ "plúgom") 
• Swedish: ploga (sv)

Etymology 3

Noun

stem (plural stems)

1. Alternative form of steem.

External links

• stem in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• stem in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
• “stem” in Douglas Harper, Online Etymology Dictionary (2001).

Anagrams

• Mets

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Dutch

Etymology

From Old Dutch *stemma, from Proto-Germanic *stebnō, *stemnō.

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ɛm
• IPA: /stɛm/

• audio

  (file)

Noun

stem f, m (plural stemmen, diminutive stemmetje)

1. voice
2. vote

Verb

stem

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

Anagrams

• mest, mets

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Latin

Verb

stem

1. first-person singular present active subjunctive of stō
   1. "may I stand"
   2. "may I stay, may I remain"

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Tok Pisin

Etymology

From English stamp.

Noun

stem

1. stamp