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stem²

(stĕm)

v. stemmed, stem·ming, stems

v.tr.

1. To stop or stanch (a flow): stemmed the bleeding.

2. To restrain or stop: wanted to stem the growth of government.

3. To plug or tamp (a blast hole, for example).

4. Sports To turn (a ski, usually the uphill ski) by moving the heel outward.

v.intr.
Sports

To stem a ski or both skis, as in making a turn.

[Middle English stemmen, from Old Norse stemma.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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