stem1

noun

• 1the main body or stalk of a plant or shrub, typically rising above ground but occasionally subterranean.
• the stalk supporting a fruit, flower, or leaf, and attaching it to a larger branch, twig, or stalk.

• 2a long and thin supportive or main section of something:the main stem of the wing feathers
• the slender part of a wineglass between the base and the bowl.
• the tube of a tobacco pipe.
• a rod or cylinder in a mechanism, for example the sliding shaft of a bolt or the winding pin of a watch.
• a vertical stroke in a letter or musical note.

• 3 Grammar the root or main part of a noun, adjective, or other word, to which inflections or formative elements are added.
• archaic or literary the main line of descent of a family or nation:the Hellenic tribes were derived from the Aryan stem

• 4the main upright timber or metal piece at the bow of a ship, to which the ship’s sides are joined.

• 5 informal a pipe used for smoking crack or opium.

verb (stems, stemming, stemmed)

• 1 [no object] (stem from) originate in or be caused by:many of the universities' problems stem from rapid expansion

• 2 [with object] remove the stems from (fruit or tobacco leaves).

• 3 [with object] (of a boat) make headway against (the tide or current).