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stem

/stɛm/noun, verb1 syllable

Stem means: (linguistics) the form of a word after all affixes are removed.

Synonyms for stem21

noun, as in (linguistics) the form of a word after all affixes are removed

root, root word, base, theme, radical

noun, as in front part of a vessel or aircraft

bow, fore, prow

noun, as in a slender or elongated structure that supports a plant or fungus or a plant part or plant organ

stalk

noun, as in cylinder forming a long narrow part of something

shank

noun, as in a turn made in skiing; the back of one ski is forced outward and the other ski is brought parallel to it

stem turn

verb, as in stop the flow of a liquid

stanch, staunch, halt

also used for stem

tail, virgula, forestem, beak, prore, to be due to, to arise from

Includes material from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

What does stem mean?10

noun

1

(linguistics) the form of a word after all affixes are removed“thematic vowels are part of the stem”

2

front part of a vessel or aircraft“he pointed the bow of the boat toward the finish line”

3

a slender or elongated structure that supports a plant or fungus or a plant part or plant organ

4

cylinder forming a long narrow part of something

5

a turn made in skiing; the back of one ski is forced outward and the other ski is brought parallel to it

6

the tube of a tobacco pipe

verb

1

stop the flow of a liquid“staunch the blood flow”

2

grow out of, have roots in, originate in“The increase in the national debt stems from the last war”

3

cause to point inward“stem your skis”

4

remove the stem from“for automatic natural language processing, the words must be stemmed”

Definitions from the Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

What rhymes with stem?11

one syllable

thememgemremhemfemme

two syllables

pmgmfmcondemn

three syllables

atm
Show 40 near rhymes
whentheirtheregetthenwellsaidwherebesthelpagainnextagainstendleftletsetcarereadyettellheadmenwentyeslesssayshealthfriendsdeathelseairfriendredcheckmyselfyourselfwestgetshimself

Stem in a sentence

  • In the shadow of humility, arrogance wilts faster than a rose without a stem.Miktsoanit
  • The plant, we call it asphodel and its stem, the flower stalk.AmarMecheri
  • Raspberries are red, blueberries blue; cut the tarragon stems, and cowslip shoots new.Solana
  • All the sciences are branches from the same stem.Miktsoanit
  • He dropped his wineglass and broke its stem.CM
  • Ziri grabbed the ivy stem and broke it.Amastan
  • Can you tie a cherry stem into a knot with your tongue?darinmex
  • Cosmetic stem cell therapy is in the early stages of development.patgfisher

Sentences from Tatoeba, CC BY 2.0 FR, credited to their authors.

Forms of stem

as a noun

plural
stems

as a verb

past tense
stemmed
present participle
stemming
third-person singular
stems
past participle
stemmed