stump

Everyday

1. A stump is the short part of a tree trunk left in the ground after the tree is cut down. tree →
2. A stump is the short part left of something worn or cut, like a pencil stump or the stump of a leg. tree →
3. In cricket, the stumps are the three upright sticks that make the wicket. tree →
4. To stump someone is to ask them something so hard they cannot answer. tree →
5. To stump is to walk with heavy, stamping steps. tree →

In the lessons

In nature lessons, you can count the rings on a tree stump to find its age. In cricket (UK, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland), the bowler tries to hit the stumps. In quizzes, a hard question stumps the class. Phrases: «tree stump», «be stumped», «stumped for words».

Examples

• We sat on an old tree stump to eat lunch. tree →
• Count the rings on the stump to find the tree's age. tree →
• The ball knocked over the stumps, and he was out. tree →
• That riddle stumped everyone in the class. tree →
• I'm stumped — I have no idea! tree →
• He stumped up the stairs in a bad mood. tree →
• My pencil is just a stump now. tree →
• He came to the charred stumps. tree →

Note

Countable noun; regular verb («stumped»). «Be stumped» means «not know the answer». In science, each ring on a stump usually shows one year of growth, so 30 rings means about 30 years old.

In Jewish tradition

In Daniel, the stump left in the ground stands for a kingdom that waits to grow again.

Interpretation. Tradition reads Nebuchadnezzar's dream as a sign that his kingdom would be kept for him. It would return when he humbled himself and recognized God's rule.

Examples

• And whereas it was commanded to leave the stump of the roots of the tree, thy kingdom shall be sure unto thee, after that thou shalt have known that the heavens do rule. (Writings DAN.4.23, JPS 1917) tree →

Note

Countable noun; regular verb («stumped»). «Be stumped» means «not know the answer». In science, each ring on a stump usually shows one year of growth, so 30 rings means about 30 years old.