stems
stems — noun
1. the long thin central piece of an object that holds wider parts at each end, or
the long thin central piece of an object that holds wider parts at each end, or from which smaller parts grow outward; for example, the stem of a wine glass connects the bowl to the base.
Mei carefully held the champagne glass by its fragile stem.
collocation: stem of a glass
The stem of the old tobacco pipe was cracked from years of use.
Each candle holder had a twisted metal stem painted gold.
A microphone stood on a heavy metal base with a long adjustable stem.
The glass dome rests on a short brass stem attached to a wooden platform.
用法筆記
Common in descriptions of glassware, lamps, pipes, and other objects with a narrow vertical section between wider parts.
2. the tall slender part of a plant that rises out of the soil, supporting the leav
the tall slender part of a plant that rises out of the soil, supporting the leaves, blossoms, and fruit; any offshoot that attaches a leaf or fruit to the central stalk.
The rose stems were covered in sharp thorns that pricked her fingers.
collocation: rose stem / plant stem
Siti cut the thick stems of the sunflowers and arranged them in a tall vase.
After the storm, the garden was full of broken stems and scattered leaves.
The children peeled the tough outer layer off the celery stems before eating them.
Bamboo stems grow extremely fast and can reach several metres in a single season.
- root
the part of a plant that grows downward into the soil
用法筆記
The most concrete and common sense of 'stem'. Often used with a pre-modifier such as 'flower stem', 'rose stem', 'broccoli stem'.
常見錯誤
3. the basic part of a word to which prefixes and suffixes are added to change its
the basic part of a word to which prefixes and suffixes are added to change its form or meaning; for example, 'walk' is the stem of 'walking', 'walks', and 'walked'.
The stem of the word 'unhappiness' is 'happy' after removing 'un-' and '-ness'.
example: removing affixes to find the stem
Students in the linguistics class learned how to identify verb stems in ancient Greek texts.
When you add '-ed' to a verb stem, you usually form the past tense.
The dictionary lists the stem of each word so readers can see its core meaning.
Omar noticed that the stem 'struct' appears in 'construction', 'destroy', and 'instruct'.
- affix
a prefix, suffix, or infix added to a stem to create a new word form
用法筆記
Distinguish from 'root': a root cannot be broken down further, while a stem may contain a root plus additional elements. In practice, the two terms overlap in many textbooks.
常見錯誤
4. a short projecting knob located on the edge of a watch; pulling or rotating it l
a short projecting knob located on the edge of a watch; pulling or rotating it lets you adjust the time, wind the mechanism, or change the date display.
Ben gently pulled out the watch stem and turned it to set the alarm.
action: pull out and turn the stem
The repair shop replaced the broken stem on grandpa's old pocket watch.
Priya pushed the stem back in after adjusting the hands to the correct time.
If the stem feels loose, the watch may need a simple mechanical fix.
- crown
the technical term used by watchmakers; 'crown' is more professional, 'stem' is more general
用法筆記
Quite specific to watches and clocks. Most learners encounter this sense only when reading about watch repair or wearing a mechanical watch.
5. the main vertical structure at the very front of a ship or boat that supports th
the main vertical structure at the very front of a ship or boat that supports the hull and cuts through the water; the forward end of a vessel.
The ship's stem was reinforced with thick steel plates for the icy Arctic voyage.
domain: nautical — ship's stem
From the stem to the stern, the fishing boat measured exactly fifteen metres.
The old wooden stem of the schooner had rotted after decades in salt water.
Paint peeled off the metal stem near the waterline where the waves hit hardest.
- stern
the back end of a ship
用法筆記
Nautical term. Learners may encounter it in literature about ships or in the phrase 'from stem to stern' (meaning 'from one end to the other').
6. the foundational source or primary section of a larger structure from which addi
the foundational source or primary section of a larger structure from which additional elements diverge; for example, the key subject of a debate, or the earliest line of descent in a genealogy.
The stem of the argument was whether to build a new school or repair the old one.
metaphorical: stem of an argument / discussion
All the smaller villages share a common stem in their history and cultural traditions.
The family tree shows one main stem going back to the eighteenth century.
Each department branches off from the central stem of the organisation.
The stem of the problem lies in poor communication between the two teams.
用法筆記
Used metaphorically in formal or semi-formal contexts. Common in the phrase 'the stem of the [problem / argument / issue]'.
stems — verb
1. to stop or slow down the progress of something that is spreading, growing, or be
to stop or slow down the progress of something that is spreading, growing, or becoming worse; for example, stemming the tide of public anger, or stemming the spread of a disease.
The government introduced new laws to stem the rise in unemployment among young people.
collocation: stem the rise / increase of something
Dr. Amara worked day and night to stem the spread of the virus in the city.
The central bank raised interest rates to stem the rapid fall of the national currency.
Teachers held a meeting to discuss ways to stem the loss of students from the school.
Efforts to stem the flow of illegal waste into the river have had little effect so far.
- accelerate
to make something happen faster or increase more quickly
- encourage
to promote or support the growth or development of something
文法句型
stem + noun phrase
用法筆記
Often used with abstract nouns like 'tide', 'flow', 'spread', 'rise', 'decline'. Frequently appears in news and formal writing.
常見錯誤
2. to stop or block the movement of a liquid, especially blood from a wound or wate
to stop or block the movement of a liquid, especially blood from a wound or water from a leak; to dam up or hold back a flowing substance.
Nadia pressed a clean cloth firmly on the cut to stem the bleeding.
common medical usage: stem the bleeding
The plumber used a special sealant to stem the leak in the kitchen pipe.
The nurse applied pressure to the wound for ten minutes to stem the blood flow.
Sandbags were placed along the riverbank to stem the rising floodwater.
A temporary dam was built to stem the flow of water away from the construction site.
- release
to allow liquid to flow freely
文法句型
stem + noun phrase (liquid or flow)
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1: this sense specifically involves physical liquids, while sense 1 is abstract (trends, problems). However, 'stem the flow' can be used for both literal and figurative flows.
常見錯誤
3. to pull off or cut away the stalk from a fruit, vegetable, flower, or leaf, usua
to pull off or cut away the stalk from a fruit, vegetable, flower, or leaf, usually before cooking or eating.
Emma stemmed the strawberries before adding them to the cake batter.
common kitchen task: stem berries / vegetables
The recipe says to stem the spinach and wash the leaves thoroughly.
Kwame carefully stemmed each grape before arranging them on the cheese platter.
Carlos spent an hour stemming cherries for the jam he planned to make.
The machine can stem and peel tomatoes much faster than a person can.
- strip
suggests pulling off leaves or stems by running fingers along the branch; used for herbs like rosemary or thyme
文法句型
stem + noun phrase (fruit, vegetable, plant)
用法筆記
A practical, everyday verb for kitchen work. Usually followed by the name of a fruit or vegetable. The past form 'stemmed' is very common in recipes.
常見錯誤
4. to develop or come from a particular cause, source, or beginning; to have an ori
to develop or come from a particular cause, source, or beginning; to have an origin that can be traced back to something earlier.
Most of their disagreements stem from a simple misunderstanding about the budget.
pattern: stem from [cause/reason]
The team's success stems from years of dedicated training and hard work.
Her love of classical music stems from the piano lessons she took as a child.
The word 'marmalade' stems from the Portuguese word 'marmelada'.
Many traditional festivals in the region stem from ancient farming customs.
- arise from
more formal; often used for problems, questions, or situations that emerge
- originate from
emphasises the point of origin more strongly than 'stem from'
- derive from
common for words, ideas, benefits coming from a source; slightly more formal
- lead to
to have something as a result, reversing the direction of causation
文法句型
stem from + noun phrase
stem from the fact that...
用法筆記
Nearly always used in the phrasal pattern 'stem from'. Rarely used without 'from'. The subject is typically a result, and the object of 'from' is the cause. Frequently passive: 'is stemmed from' is incorrect — this sense is not passive.