WOTW: stem
| - Tim Lake |
“Stem” is a word with several different meanings. The main one is to do with plants. Let’s have a look:
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The first meaning of the noun “stem” is the main long body of a plant, shrub or flower.
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+ Every year we cut the old stems down to ground level.
+ He was outside the shop sweeping dead leaves and flower stems, when she walked by.
+ She cut off the bottom of the stems before arranging them in the vase.
+ Once plants have grown strong stems, they stand upright and reach for the sun.
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There are some other meanings of the noun “stem” that have a similar meaning.
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+ Her fingers tightly grasped the stem of the wine glass. (the thin section between the base and the bowl).
+ Many English word stems are from Latin or Greek. (the main part of a word).
+ The stems of his notes are beautifully written. (a vertical stroke of a musical note).
+ The handle bars are mounted on a stem of the bicycle’s front wheel. (a round rod or shaft).
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One of the most useful meanings of the verb “stem” is, comes from, starts from or caused by. It is always used as “stems from”.
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+ Many problems stem from the business’s very rapid growth.
+ My best memories of tennis all stem from playing at Wimbledon.
+ Many of the difficulties stem from the continually falling prices.
+ The origin of the band stem from him wanting to explore free jazz in a big band setting.
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A very different meaning of the verb “stem” is to stop or restrict something.
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+ The nurse did her best to stem the bleeding.
+ The UN is trying to stem the flow of refugees and restore stability in the region.
+ The government is attempting to stem the rise of unemployment.
+ There are no effective ways to stem the impacts of climate change.
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Recently, the word STEM has become popular in education. It stands from Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.
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There are some less common meanings of “stem”. Check lexico if you are interested: https://www.lexico.com/definition/stem
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The pronunciation is /stɛm/.
発音は/stɛm/ です。
この単語は、英語で最もよく使われる3,000の単語のリストであるNew General Service Listからのものです。完全なリストはこちらから。
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