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• stem
  stem

  noun

  the ascending axis of a plant, whether above or below ground, which ordinarily grows in an opposite direction to the root or descending axis.
• STEM
  STEM

  noun

  science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, considered as a group of academic or career fields (often used attributively).
• Stem
  Stem

  noun

  the South African national anthem until 1991, when part of it was incorporated into the current anthem, Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika See Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika

stem

¹ American  

[stem] / stɛm /

noun

1. the ascending axis of a plant, whether above or below ground, which ordinarily grows in an opposite direction to the root or descending axis.

2. the stalk that supports a leaf, flower, or fruit.

3. the main body of that portion of a tree, shrub, or other plant which is above ground; trunk; stalk.

4. a cut flower.

   We bought roses at the flower market for 50¢ a stem.

5. a petiole; peduncle; pedicel.

6. a stalk of bananas.

7. something resembling or suggesting a leaf or flower stalk.

8. a long, slender part.

   the stem of a tobacco pipe.

9. the slender, vertical part of a goblet, wineglass, etc., between the bowl and the base.

10. Informal. a drinking glass having a stem.

11. the handle of a spoon.

12. a projection from the rim of a watch, having on its end a knob for winding the watch.

13. the circular rod in some locks about which the key fits and rotates.

14. the rod or spindle by which a valve is operated from outside.

15. the stock or line of descent of a family; ancestry or pedigree.

16. Grammar. the underlying form, often consisting of a root plus an affix, to which the inflectional endings of a word are added, as tend-, the stem in Latin tendere “to stretch,” the root of which is ten-.

17. Music. the vertical line forming part of a note.

18. Slang. stems, the legs of a human being.

19. the main or relatively thick stroke of a letter in printing.

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verb (used with object)

stemmed, stemming

1. to remove the stem from (a leaf, fruit, etc.).

   Stem the cherries before cooking.

verb (used without object)

stemmed, stemming

1. to arise or originate.

   This project stems from last week's lecture.

stem ² American  

[stem] / stɛm /

verb (used with object)

stemmed, stemming

1. to stop, check, or restrain.

2. to dam up; stop the flow of (a stream, river, or the like).

3. to tamp, plug, or make tight, as a hole or joint.

4. Skiing. to maneuver (a ski or skis) in executing a stem.

5. to stanch (bleeding).

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verb (used without object)

stemmed, stemming

1. Skiing. to execute a stem.

noun

1. Skiing. the act or instance of a skier pushing the heel of one or both skis outward so that the heels are far apart, as in making certain turns or slowing down.

stem ³ American  

[stem] / stɛm /

verb (used with object)

stemmed, stemming

1. to make headway against (a tide, current, gale, etc.).

2. to make progress against (any opposition).

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stem ⁴ American  

[stem] / stɛm /

noun

Nautical.

1. (at the bow of a vessel) an upright into which the side timbers or plates are jointed.

2. the forward part of a vessel (often opposed tostern ).

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stem ⁵ American  

[stem] / stɛm /

verb (used with object)

stemmed, stemming

1. to arrange the loading of (a merchant vessel) within a specified time.

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STEM ⁶ American  

[stem] / stɛm /

noun

1. science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, considered as a group of academic or career fields (often used attributively).

   degree programs in STEM disciplines;

   teaching STEM in high school.

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stem ¹ British  

/ stɛm /

verb

1. (tr) to restrain or stop (the flow of something) by or as if by damming up

2. (tr) to pack tightly or stop up

3. skiing to manoeuvre (a ski or skis), as in performing a stem

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noun

1. skiing a technique in which the heel of one ski or both skis is forced outwards from the direction of movement in order to slow down or turn

Stem ² British  

/ stɛm /

noun

1. the South African national anthem until 1991, when part of it was incorporated into the current anthem, Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika See Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika

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stem ³ British  

/ stɛm /

noun

1. the main axis of a plant, which bears the leaves, axillary buds, and flowers and contains a hollow cylinder of vascular tissue

2. any similar subsidiary structure in such plants that bears a flower, fruit, or leaf

3. a corresponding structure in algae and fungi

4. any long slender part, such as the hollow part of a tobacco pipe that lies between the bit and the bowl, or the support between the base and the bowl of a wineglass, goblet, etc

5. a banana stalk with several bunches attached

6. the main line of descent or branch of a family

7. a round pin in some locks on which a socket in the end of a key fits and about which it rotates

8. any projecting feature of a component: a shank or cylindrical pin or rod, such as the pin that carries the winding knob on a watch

9. linguistics the form of a word that remains after removal of all inflectional affixes; the root of a word, esp as occurring together with a thematic element Compare root 1

10. the main, usually vertical, stroke of a letter or of a musical note such as a minim

11. electronics the tubular glass section projecting from the base of a light bulb or electronic valve, on which the filament or electrodes are mounted

12. 1. the main upright timber or structure at the bow of a vessel

    2. the very forward end of a vessel (esp in the phrase from stem to stern )

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verb

1. to be derived; originate

   the instability stems from the war

2. (tr) to make headway against (a tide, wind, etc)

3. (tr) to remove or disengage the stem or stems from

4. (tr) to supply (something) with a stem or stems

stem Scientific  

/ stĕm /

1. The main, often long or slender part of a plant that usually grows upward above the ground and supports other parts, such as branches and leaves. Plants have evolved a number of tissue arrangements in the stem. Seedless vascular plants (such as mosses and ferns) have primary vascular tissue in an inner core, a cylindrical ring, or individual strands scattered amid the ground tissue. In eudicots, magnoliids, and conifers, the stem develops a continuous cylindrical layer or a ring of separate bundles of vascular tissue (including secondary vascular tissue) embedded in the ground tissue. In monocots and some herbaceous eudicots, individual strands of primary vascular tissue are scattered in the ground tissue.

2. A slender stalk supporting or connecting another plant part, such as a leaf or flower.

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stem Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing stem

• from soup to nuts (stem to stern)

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Other Word Forms

• stemmer
  noun
• stemless
  adjective
• stemlike
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of stem¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English stem(me), Old English stemn, stefn “stem (of a plant or ship)”; from Germanic stamniz “stem, tree trunk” (equivalent to stə-, a variant of the root stā- “to stand, place” + -mn-, noun suffix); akin to Old Norse stafn “stem of a ship,” Old Saxon stamm, Old High German stam “stem, tribe,” Greek stámnos “large (standing) jar”; cf. stamnos ( def. ), stand

Origin of stem²

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English stemmen, from Old Norse stemma “to dam” or Middle Low German stemmen

Origin of stem³

First recorded in 1585–95; verb use of stem ⁴: stem ¹ ( def. )

Origin of stem⁴

First recorded before 900; continuing Old English stefn, stemn “end-timber,” Middle English stampne, stamyn(e), apparently from the Old Norse cognate stamn, stafn in the same sense; see origin at stem ¹ ( def. )

Origin of stem⁵

First recorded in 1895–1900; variant of obsolete steven “to direct one's course,” from Old Norse stefna “to sail directly, aim,” derivative of stafn stem ⁴; stem ¹ ( def. )

Origin of STEM⁶

First recorded in 1965–70

Explanation

A stem is a plant's stalk, and it's also a verb meaning "grow out of." So roses have stems, and your idea to give roses to your mom for her birthday stems from her love of flowers. A stem can be the central root of a word, the supporting structure of a plant, or the thin, cylindrical part of a glass goblet. When one thing stems from something else, it originates or begins growing there: "His vegetarianism stems from his love of animals." An older meaning of the verb is "stop the flow of something," as in "Stem your nosebleed with this tissue!" or "Some people think streetlights will stem the graffiti on that street."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

stem STEM Stem stemmed stemming

They used blood stem cells from cord blood.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 11, 2026

Community activist Tommy Comerford was part of a local group that began pursuing the idea of building a golf resort in the 1990s, hoping to create jobs and stem economic decline.

From Barron's ● Sep. 11, 2026

As the engineered stem cells mature, they do not develop the random collection of natural T cell receptors normally found on donor T cells.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 11, 2026

The changes represent some of the biggest shifts in aviation security in decades and likely stem from improved technology rather than a decline in standards, an aviation expert told the BBC.

From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026

Flower color, for instance, had no link with seed texture or stem height.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

Participants choose between three types of programming: STEM, business fundamentals and a humanities course.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026

He is hoping his college applications show admissions officers who he is—and land him at a top school for STEM.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 16, 2026

"Findings from my research showed that impostorism predicted poorer overall mental health, greater burnout, and increased consideration of dropout among graduate women in STEM," she said.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 5, 2026

Kinsey also pioneered complex surveying and interviewing methods that are now widely applied throughout STEM.

From Slate ● Jun. 27, 2025

I wrote STEM, the cutwater of the ship, the coulter as it were—the head of her, not the tail, as the devil would have it.

From Tom Cringle's Log by Michael Scott

Stem group insects appear to have combined aquatic adaptations for movement and respiration with body structures increasingly suited to life on land.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 27, 2026

While she has noticed more women studying Stem subjects, figures from Stem Women, external suggest the number working in those fields has risen only gradually.

From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026

The research, published in Stem Cell Reports, shows that these lab-grown cells can effectively control blood sugar in tests and even reverse diabetes in mice.

From Science Daily ● May 6, 2026

But in August 2013, a group of researchers, led by Irving Weissman of the Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine at Stanford University, published a paper questioning the legitimacy of Ratajczak’s claim.

From Slate ● Mar. 30, 2026

The girl who stared back had the same heart-shaped face, the same slightly crooked smile, the same brown hair, the same gray eyes as Hannah Stem of New Rochelle, New York, in America.

From "The Devil's Arithmetic" by Jane Yolen

Artificial-intelligence stocks have stemmed the bleeding, after a selloff on Monday spurred by concerns that major model creators would start taking a more disciplined approach to AI development and spending.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026

In 2022, the shock stemmed from an EU policy decision to reduce reliance on Russian gas, which at the time provided 45 percent of the bloc's requirements, according to Schroer.

From Barron's ● Sep. 8, 2026

The allegations stemmed from a video, which aired on Britain’s Channel 4 News on Thursday, that showed Farage and two senior aides meeting with men purporting to arrange political donations.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026

Its position stemmed from a declaration made by preservationist Alison Hoagland, who lives in Washington DC and serves on the trust's board of trustees.

From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026

It is not the case that all cultural advances in East Asia stemmed from China and that Koreans, Japanese, and tropical Southeast Asians were noninventive barbarians who contributed nothing.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

His homeowners association fees have been creeping up to nearly $470 per month, and that’s on top of expenses stemming from special assessments he’s had to cough up.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026

“The magnitude and persistence of the inflationary impulse stemming from events in the Middle East have proved stronger than expected in July,” said Huw Pill, who voted to raise the key rate.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026

Our article shows that racial health disparities come from both differences in exposure to environmental stressors and different underlying vulnerability stemming from, for instance, genetics or access to healthcare.

From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026

A CNN report recently took a look at other, more recent injuries allegedly stemming from the attraction.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2026

And the essay on geometry considered the revolutionary insights stemming from that day in bed on the banks of the Danube.

From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin

Related Words

• contain
• curb
• hinder
• resist
• restrain
• withstand