stem /stɛm/

Origin

From Old English "stemn" or "stefn", related to Dutch "stam" and German "Stamm"

Meanings

1. The main upright part of a plant that supports branches and leaves

   • "The rose had a long, thorny stem"

2. The main line of descent of a family/group

   • "Their family stems from Italian immigrants"

3. The main or central part of something

   • "The stem of a wine glass"

4. (Grammar) The part of a word that carries the main meaning and to which affixes are added

   • "'Talk' is the stem of 'talking' and 'talked'"

5. (Verb) To originate from; derive from

   • "Many English words stem from Latin roots"
   • "His problems stem from childhood trauma"

Word Forms

• stemmed (past tense)
• stemming (present participle)
• stems (plural noun/third-person singular)

Related Words

• Synonyms: stalk, trunk, branch, originate, derive, arise
• Word family: stemless, stemlike, stemware

Memory Tricks

1. Think "Support Team" - A stem supports the plant like a team supports its members
2. Visualize an uppercase T - its vertical line resembles a stem supporting the top line

Common Phrases

• stem the tide (to stop something from continuing)
• stem to stern (from front to back)
• from stem to stern (completely, thoroughly)

STEM Education

• Often used as acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics