- (n.) Anything resembling a stem or stalk; as, the stem of a tobacco pipe; the stem of a watch case or that part to which the ring, by which it is suspended, is attached.
- (n.) A curved piece of timber to which the two sides of a ship are united at the fore end. The lower end of it is scarfed to the keel, and the bowsprit rests upon its upper end. Hence, the forward part of a vessel; the bow.
- (n.) The stock of a family; a race or generation of progenitors.
- (n.) A branch of a family.
- (n.) Alternative of Steem.
- (n.) That part of a plant which bears leaves or rudiments of leaves, whether rising above ground or wholly subterranean.
- (n.) The entire central axis of a feather.
- (n.) A little branch which connects a fruit, flower or leaf with a main branch; a peduncle, pedicel or petiole; as, the stem of an apple or a cherry.
- (v.i.) To move forward against an obstacle, as a vessel against a current.
- (v.i.) Alternative of Steem.
- (n.) The short perpendicular line added to the body of a note; the tail of a crotchet, quaver, semiquaver, etc.
- (n.) The part of an inflected word which remains unchanged (except by euphonic variations) throughout a given inflection; theme; base.
- (n.) Fig.: An advanced or leading position; the lookout.
- (n.) The basal portion of the body of one of the Pennatulacea or of a gorgonian.
- (n.) The principal body of a tree, shrub or plant, of any kind; the main stock; the part which supports the branches or the head or top.
- (v.t.) To ram, as clay, into a blasting hole.
- (v.t.) To remove the stem or stems from; as, to stem cherries; to remove the stem and its appendages (ribs and veins) from; as, to stem tobacco leaves.
- (v.t.) To oppose or cut with or as with, the stem of a vessel; to resist or make progress against; to stop or check the flow of, as a current.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
| APA | Webster's. (2011). stem. Retrieved September 20, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/stem/definitions/2066235 |
| Chicago | Webster's. 2011. "stem" http://smartdefine.org/stem/definitions/2066235 (accessed September 20, 2026). |
| Harvard | Webster's 2011, stem, Smart Define, viewed 20 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/stem/definitions/2066235>. |
| MLA | Webster's. "stem" 28 May 2011. Web. 20 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/stem/definitions/2066235> |