stem

From Wiktionary
stem is on the Basic English 850 List.
steam - stem - steel

Pronunciation[change]

Noun[change]

Singular
stem

Plural
stems

Fruit with a little stem at the left
  1. A stem is a long, thin thing joining parts of a plant.
    Put the stems of the flowers in this cup of water.
  2. A stem is a narrow part of certain man-made objects, such as a tobacco pipe, a spoon.

Verb[change]

Plain form
stem

Third-person singular
stems

Past tense
stemmed

Past participle
stemmed

Present participle
stemming

  1. If you stem soemthing, you remove the stem from it.
    to stem cherries; to stem tobacco leaves
  2. If a problem stems from an action, it is caused by or originates from the action.
    The current crisis stems from the short-sighted politics of the previous government.