The Oxford Thesaurus An A-Z Dictionary of Synonyms - stem° n.

1) trunk, stalk, stock; Technical peduncle, pedicel, petiole, shoot: Three white blossoms are borne on each stem of the plant. 2) bows, prow, stem-post: The ship shook from stem to stern. --v. 3) come, arise, develop, derive, issue, flow, generate, originate, spring, emanate, sprout, grow, descend, result, proceed: The dispute stems from basic differences in the ways the parties regard property.