Meaning & use
stems
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“stems” is a form of “stem”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
nouncountablebiology
The main upright parts of plants that carry water and hold up leaves and flowers.
Grammar: Plural of stem: the rose stems are thorny.
Patterns
- stems of plants
- long stems
The stems of the tulips bent under the weight of the rain.
She trimmed the stems before putting the flowers in water.
Celery stems are crunchy and full of water.
verbintransitive
Comes from or is caused by something; has its origin in something.
Grammar: Used with from: the problem stems from lack of money.
Patterns
- something stems from something
Her fear of dogs stems from a childhood accident.
Most of the delays stem from staff shortages.
His success stems from hard work.
verbtransitive
Stops or slows the flow or spread of something.
Grammar: Takes an object: she stems the bleeding.
Patterns
- stem the flow of something
- stem the spread of something
The nurse stems the bleeding with a firm bandage.
New rules stem the spread of the disease.
The company stems its losses by cutting costs.
nouncountabletechnical
In grammar, the part of a word that stays the same when endings are added, such as walk in walking.
Grammar: Plural of stem: these stems take different endings.
Patterns
- the stem of a word
The stems of 'happy' and 'happiness' are slightly different.
Learners add endings to verb stems.
Dictionaries often list words under their stems.
Word forms
| singular | stem |
|---|---|
| past tense | stemmed |
| -ing form | stemming |
Common combinations
- stems from
- His anger stems from a misunderstanding.
- stems the flow
- A dam stems the flow of the river.
- long stems
- Roses with long stems look elegant.
- stems the tide of
- The law stems the tide of illegal dumping.
- thick stems
- The tree has thick stems.
Synonyms and how they differ
- arises from
- Arises from is more formal; stems from is the everyday phrase for origin.
- originates in
- Originates in is neutral and stresses the starting point, while stems from suggests a deeper cause.
- stalks
- Stalks are stems of larger plants such as corn, while stems is the general botanical word.
- curbs
- Curbs means restricting, whereas stems means stopping a flow.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: stems or steams?
stems vs steams
Steams relates to vapor from hot water, while stems relates to plants or origins.
Practice
Her fear of water ____ from an accident when she was young.
Choose one answer.
Stems from means has its origin in. Starts from is weaker and not idiomatic here; stops and steams do not fit.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “stems”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.