stem

Everyday

1. A stem is the long thin part of a plant that holds up the leaves and flowers. tree →
2. A stem is also any thin part like that, such as the stem of a wine glass or an apple stalk. tree →
3. In grammar, the stem is the main part of a word before endings are added. tree →
4. To stem from means to come from or be caused by. tree →
5. STEM means science, technology, engineering and maths. tree →

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 →
• Water travels up the stem to the leaves. tree →
• Cut the stems of the roses before you put them in a vase. tree →
• Pull the stem off the apple. tree →
• In a stem-and-leaf plot, 34 has stem 3 and leaf 4. tree →
• Her fear of dogs stems from a bad bite. tree →
• Our school has a STEM club on Fridays. tree →
• The stem of «running» is «run». tree →
• There were no fewer than thirty blossoms on its stem. tree →

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.