stem

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[edit] English

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[edit] Pronunciation

[edit] Etymology 1

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

[edit] 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.
[edit] Derived terms
terms derived from stem (noun)
[edit] Translations
botany: above-ground stalk of a vascular plant
slender supporting member for an individual part of a plant
narrow supporting structure on certain man-made objects
linguistics: main part of a word
typography: vertical stroke of a letter
music: vertical stroke of a symbol representing a note in written music
nautical: forward vertical extension of the keel
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

[edit] 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 [...].
[edit] Translations
to descend
to be caused
to take out the stem from something

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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).
    • 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.
[edit] Synonyms
[edit] Translations
to stop, hinder
skiing: to point the skis inward

[edit] External links

[edit] Anagrams

[edit] Dutch

[edit] Etymology

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

[edit] Pronunciation

[edit] Noun

stem f. and m. (plural stemmen, diminutive stemmetje)

  1. voice

[edit] Verb

stem

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

[edit] Anagrams

[edit] Latin

[edit] 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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