Etymology
1. O.E.
stemn, stefn "stem of a plant," also "either end-post of a ship," from P.Gmc.
*stamniz (cf. O.S.
stamm, O.N.
stafn "stem of a ship;" Dan.
stamme, Swed.
stam "trunk of a tree;" O.H.G.
stam, Ger.
Stamm), from PIE base
*sta- "to stand" (see stet). Meaning "support of a wineglass" is from 1835.
Stem-winding watches (1875) were advanced and desirable when introduced, hence slang
stem-winder "excellent thing" (1892). The nautical sense is preserved in the phrase
stem to stern "along the full length" (of a ship), attested from 1627. The verbal phrase
stems from, first recorded 1932, Amer.Eng., translates Ger.
stammen aus, probably from a fig. sense represented by Eng.
stem (n.) in the sense of "stock of a family, line of descent" (c.1540; cf.
family tree, and Ger.
stammvater "tribal ancestor," lit. "stem-father").
2. Etymology tree
3. Proto-Indo-European *steh₂-
4. Proto-Indo-European *-mn̥
5. Proto-Indo-European *stéh₂mn̥
6. Proto-Indo-European *-is
7. Proto-Indo-European *sth₂mnís
8. Proto-Germanic *stamniz
9. Proto-West Germanic *stamni
10. Old English stemn
11. Middle English stemme
12. English stem
13. From Middle English stem, stemme, stempne, stevin, from Old English stemn (“stem”), from Proto-West Germanic *stamni, from Proto-Germanic *stamniz (“stem, tree stalk”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *steh₂- (“to stand, stay”).
14. Cognates
15. Cognate with Dutch stam (“stem”), German Stamm (“stem”), Danish and Norwegian stamme (“stem”), Danish stavn, stævn (“stem of a boat”), Faroese stavnur (“stem of a boat”), stovnur (“institution, public body, foundation, basis”), Icelandic stafn (“stem of a boat”), stofn (“trunk, stock, livestock, stem”), Norn stomna, stimna (“strength, ability”), Swedish stäm (“tree trunk, stem”), stäv (“stem of a boat”), stomme (“frame, structure”), Gothic 𐍃𐍄𐍉𐌼𐌰 (stōma, “substantial grounds, just cause”), Asturian estame (“stamen”), Aragonese estambre (“stamen”), Catalan estam (“stamen”), French étaim (“yarn”), Galician estame (“stamen, yarn”), Italian stame (“stamen”), Portuguese estame (“stem, yarn”), Spanish Spanish estambre (“stamen, a type of yarn”), Latin stāmen (“warp of a loom, thread hanging from a distaff”), Ancient Greek στῆμα (stêma, “stamen of a flower”), στάμνος (stámnos, “earthen jar, bottle for racking off wine”), Albanian shtamë (“pot, jar, pitcher, jug”), Sanskrit स्थामन् (sthā́man, “place, strength”). Doublet of stamen.
16. Not related to English stoma, which is a Greek loan inherited through New Latin. See: Norn 'stomna'.
Verbs referencing "stem"
German, old spelling
stemmen, Icelandic
stemma, German, old spelling
stammen.