stem

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
stem1

▶noun

• 1 the main body or stalk of a plant or shrub.

  ■ the stalk supporting a fruit, flower, or leaf, and attaching it to a larger branch, twig, or stalk.

• 2 a long, thin supportive or main section of something, such as that of a wine glass or tobacco pipe.

• 3 a rod or cylinder in a mechanism.

• 4 a vertical stroke in a letter or musical note.

• 5 Grammar the root or main part of a word, to which inflections or formative elements are added.

• 6 the main upright timber or metal piece at the bow of a ship.

• 7 archaic or literary the main line of descent of a family or nation.

▶verb (stems, stemming, stemmed)

• 1 (stem from) originate in or be caused by.

• 2 remove the stems from (fruit or tobacco leaves).

• 3 (of a boat) make headway against (the tide or current).

– phrases
from stem to stern from one end to the other, especially of a ship.

– derivatives
stemmed adjective,
stemless adjective.

– origin OE stemn, stefn, of Gmc origin.

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
stem2

▶verb (stems, stemming, stemmed)

• 1 stop or restrict (the flow of something).

• 2 Skiing slide the tail of one ski or both skis outwards in order to turn or slow down.

– origin ME: from ON stemma, of Gmc origin; the skiing term is from the Ger. verb stemmen.