Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1200-1300
Language: Old Norse
Origin: stemma. stem from 1900-2000 From STEM1

stem

2 verb
     
stem2 past tense and past participle stemmed, present participle stemming [transitive]
1 to stop something from happening, spreading, or developing
stem the tide/flow/flood of something
The measures are meant to stem the tide of illegal immigration.
stem the growth/rise/decline etc
an attempt to stem the decline in profits
2 formal to stop the flow of a liquid:
A tight bandage should stem the bleeding.

stem from something

phrasal verb
to develop as a result of something else:
His headaches stemmed from vision problems.
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

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