stem: meaning and words from its letters
4 letters · 6 letter points · starts with S · ends with M
Meaning of stem
noun
The stock of a family; a race or generation of progenitors.
A branch of a family.
A branch of a family. A branch, or group of branches, located outside a family or other cladistic group, but which is more closely related to that group than to any other taxon of the same rank.
An advanced or leading position; the lookout.
Listed forms: stems.
Source: Wiktionary — stem.
verb
To remove the stem from.
Example: to stem cherries; to stem tobacco leaves
To be caused or derived; to originate.
Example: The current crisis stems from the short-sighted politics of the previous government.
To descend in a family line.
To direct the stem (of a ship) against; to make headway against.
Listed forms: stems, stemming, stemmed.
Source: Wiktionary — stem.
verb
- transitive
To stop, hinder (for instance, a river or blood).
Example: to stem a tide
To move the feet apart and point the tips of the skis inward in order to slow down the speed or to facilitate a turn.
To use a stance with the feet spread apart, bracing them in opposite directions against the two walls of a chimney or dihedral.
Listed forms: stems, stemming, stemmed.
Source: Wiktionary — stem.
Adapted from Wiktionary contributors via Kaikki.org. Selected senses and forms; quotations omitted. Definition text is CC BY-SA 4.0.
Synonyms by meaning
Words are grouped by sense, so they are not necessarily interchangeable in every context. Search synonyms for stem.
noun
(linguistics) the form of a word after all affixes are removed
noun
a slender or elongated structure that supports a plant or fungus or a plant part or plant organ
noun
cylinder forming a long narrow part of something
noun
front part of a vessel or aircraft
Open English WordNet Team, 2025, derived from Princeton University WordNet; selected synonym groups under CC BY 4.0. Source · OEWN notice · Princeton notice.
Is stem in our word lists?
| Word list | Status |
|---|---|
| American English | Found |
| British English | Found |
| Extended English | Found |
These are spelling-list matches, not official game validity checks. Check the rules and dictionary used by your game.
Letter-value score of stem
S(1) + T(1) + E(1) + M(3) = 6 points.
This is a sum of letter values without board bonuses or word multipliers. A blank tile is worth zero: subtract the value of each letter supplied by a blank. The score does not establish game validity. Full letter-value table.
Anagrams of stem
0 other standard-list words use exactly these letters, including repeated letters.
No other single-word anagram was found in our standard list.
Shorter words from stem
9 shorter standard-list words can be made using no letter more often than it occurs in stem. Showing up to 24, longest first.