1. the main trunk of a plant that supports leaves and flowers
2. the thin part of a wine glass between the bowl and base
3. the main part of a word to which prefixes and suffixes are added
Usage: linguistics

1. to stop or control the flow of something
2. to originate or come from

Examples

• The flower’s stem was bent by the strong wind.
• She held the wine glass by its delicate stem.
• The word ‘running’ has the stem ‘run’.
• The doctor applied pressure to stem the bleeding.
• Her confidence stems from years of practice.
• The rose stem had sharp thorns.
• We need to stem the tide of complaints.