stem

B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun

n. the thin, vertical part of an object, like a wine glass or a tobacco pipe.

n. a slender supporting part of a manufactured object, typically connecting the base to the functional head.

“She held the wine glass by the stem to keep the drink cold.”

“The antique pipe featured an ornate silver stem that had been polished to a mirror finish by its previous owner.”

C1 · Advanced Countable noun Linguistics Academic · Technical

n. the main part of a word that stays the same when you add different endings.

n. the part of a word to which inflectional affixes are attached; distinct from the root in complex morphological analysis.

“In the word 'playing', the stem is 'play'.”

“Students of Latin must memorise the perfect stem of each verb to conjugate the past tenses correctly.”

C2 · Proficiency Countable noun Nautical Technical

n. the very front part of a ship or boat.

n. the upright post or curved timber forming the forward extremity of a vessel's hull.

“The ship's name was painted clearly on the stem.”

“The vessel sustained heavy damage to its stem after colliding with a submerged shipping container during the storm.”

B2 · Upper Intermediate

v. to start because of something or come from a specific source.

v. to originate or derive from a specific cause or source; typically used with the preposition 'from'.

“Most of her health problems stem from a poor diet and lack of sleep.”

“The current economic crisis stems from a series of poorly regulated financial decisions made over the previous decade.”

C1 · Advanced Formal

v. to stop something from spreading or flowing, like blood or water.

v. to check or restrain the flow or progress of something. Transitive; requires a direct object.

“The nurse applied pressure to the wound to stem the bleeding.”

“The central bank raised interest rates in a desperate attempt to stem the tide of rising inflation.”