Meaning & Definition of Stem in English
English⟶
Stem
/stɛm/
noun
1. (linguistics) the form of a word after all affixes are removed
- "Thematic vowels are part of the stem"
synonym:
- root,
- root word,
- base,
- stem,
- theme,
- radical
2. A slender or elongated structure that supports a plant or fungus or a plant part or plant organ
synonym:
- stalk,
- stem
3. Cylinder forming a long narrow part of something
synonym:
- shank,
- stem
4. The tube of a tobacco pipe
synonym:
- stem
5. Front part of a vessel or aircraft
- "He pointed the bow of the boat toward the finish line"
synonym:
- bow,
- fore,
- prow,
- stem
6. A turn made in skiing
- The back of one ski is forced outward and the other ski is brought parallel to it
synonym:
- stem turn,
- stem
verb
1. Grow out of, have roots in, originate in
- "The increase in the national debt stems from the last war"
synonym:
- stem
2. Cause to point inward
- "Stem your skis"
synonym:
- stem
3. Stop the flow of a liquid
- "Staunch the blood flow"
- "Stem the tide"
synonym:
- stem,
- stanch,
- staunch,
- halt
4. Remove the stem from
- "For automatic natural language processing, the words must be stemmed"
synonym:
- stem
Examples of using
Dwindling resources have hampered the efforts of police to stem the rise of violent crime in the city.
Can you tie a cherry stem into a knot with your tongue?