the tube of a tobacco pipe
"He reached for his favorite wooden stem to take a puff before heading out."
The stock of a family; a race or generation of progenitors.
"The STEM images revealed the nanoscale structure of the carbon fiber sample."
Alternative form of steem
Alternative form of STEM
Acronym of scanning transmission electron microscope.
In plain English: A stem is the main stalk that holds up a flower or leaf.
"The stem of the flower was broken by the strong wind."
grow out of, have roots in, originate in
"The increase in the national debt stems from the last war"
To remove the stem from.
"The heavy debris in the storm drain began to stem the rising floodwaters before they could breach the basement."
To stop, hinder (for instance, a river or blood).
In plain English: To stem something means to stop it from flowing or spreading any further.
"The leak started to stem after we sealed the pipe, but water still dripped onto the floor."
Usage: Use this verb to describe stopping the flow of liquids like water or blood by blocking their path. It is often confused with "stint," but remember that stem specifically refers to hindering movement rather than limiting duration.
A surname.
"The Stem family has been living in our neighborhood for three generations."
The word "stem" comes from Old English, where it originally meant a tree stalk or the part of a plant that holds it upright. It traveled into modern English with this same core meaning, tracing its roots back to an ancient Indo-European root for standing still.