/stem ||; stɛm/noun[C] 1 the main long thin part of a plant above the ground from which the leaves or flowers grow 树干；茎；梗 ☞pictures at flower and on page C2 见flower及C2页插图
2 (grammar语法) the main part of a word onto which other parts are added 词干: ‘Writ-’ is the stem of the words ‘write’, ‘writing’, ‘written’ and ‘writer’. writ-是write、writing、written和writer的词干。