[Elamur Dictionary](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/stem/)

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# stem

noun (a stem, stems); verb (stem, stems, stemmed, stemming)

«stem» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. A stem is the long thin part of a plant that holds up the leaves and flowers. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/stem/#m1)
2. A stem is also any thin part like that, such as the stem of a wine glass or an apple stalk. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/stem/#m2)
3. In grammar, the stem is the main part of a word before endings are added. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/stem/#m3)
4. To stem from means to come from or be caused by. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/stem/#m4)
5. STEM means science, technology, engineering and maths. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/stem/#m5)

### In the lessons

In science lessons on plants, the stem carries water and food between roots and leaves; celery in coloured water shows it. In maths, a stem-and-leaf plot shows numbers split into tens (stem) and ones (leaf). In school, STEM subjects are science, technology, engineering and maths. Phrases: stem and leaf, flower stem, stem from, STEM club.

### Examples

- The stem holds the flower up towards the sun. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/stem/#x1)
- Water travels up the stem to the leaves. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/stem/#x2)
- Cut the stems of the roses before you put them in a vase. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/stem/#x3)
- Pull the stem off the apple. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/stem/#x4)
- In a stem-and-leaf plot, 34 has stem 3 and leaf 4. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/stem/#x5)
- Her fear of dogs stems from a bad bite. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/stem/#x6)
- Our school has a STEM club on Fridays. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/stem/#x7)
- The stem of «running» is «run». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/stem/#x8)
- There were no fewer than thirty blossoms on its stem. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/stem/#x9)

### Note

Double the m in stemmed, stemming. «Stalk» is a near synonym for plant stems. In a stem-and-leaf plot, the stem is usually the tens digit and each leaf is a ones digit, so stem 2 with leaves 1, 5 means 21 and 25.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «stem» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/stem/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«stem» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/stem.html) on Mova free.