Definition of "stem" []

• The main ascending axis of a plant; a stalk or trunk. (noun)
• A slender stalk supporting or connecting another plant part, such as a leaf or flower. (noun)
• A banana stalk bearing several bunches of bananas. (noun)
• A connecting or supporting part, especially: (noun)
• The tube of a tobacco pipe. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Now, take a real flower of this tribe -- the common bind-weed from the hedge will do as well as any other -- and you will see that the means provided for it to run up any stick or stem it may meet, is a peculiar property it has, of twining its _stem_ round and round that of any other plant near it; and so strong is this necessity to assume"
• "When the brain stem is severely depleted of cells Ollie, (as may occur when certain individuals attempt deep thought), certain symptoms can appear."
• "Obama's comments about blue collar, small town America (of which I'm a member), which were poorly expressed but easily interpreted by anyone with a brain stem, is that the working poor in this country have little to rely on but faith and guns when the government that is supposed to protect and serve them does neither."