Stell Stell transitive verb [ Anglo-Saxon
stellan . √163.]
To place or fix firmly or permanently. [ Obsolete]
Shak.
Stell Stell noun [ See
Stell ,
transitive verb ]
1. A prop; a support, as for the feet in standing or cilmbing. [ Scot.]
2. A partial inclosure made by a wall or trees, to serve as a shelter for sheep or cattle. [ Prov. Eng. & Scot.]
Stellar, Stellary Stel"lar, Stel"la·ry adjective [ Latin
stellaris , from
stella a star. See
Star .]
1. Of or pertaining to stars; astral; as, a stellar figure; stellary orbs. [ These soft fires] in part shed down
Their stellar virtue.
Milton. 2. Full of stars; starry; as, stellar regions.
Stellate, Stellated Stel"late, Stel"la·ted adjective [ Latin
stellatus , past participle of
stellare to set or cover with stars, from
stella a star. See
Stellar .]
1. Resembling a star; pointed or radiated, like the emblem of a star. 2. (Botany) Starlike; having similar parts radiating from a common center; as, stellate flowers.
Stellation Stel·la"tion noun Radiation of light. [ Obsolete]
Stelled Stelled adjective [ See
Stell to place.]
Firmly placed or fixed. [ Obsolete] "The
stelled fires" [ the stars].
Shak. [ In this passage by some defined as "starry," as if from
stellatus .]
Steller Stel"ler noun [ After Geo. W.
Steller , a German naturalist.]
(Zoöl) The rytina; -- called also stellerine .
Stellerid Stel"ler·id noun [ Latin
stella a star.]
(Zoology) A starfish.
Stellerida Stel·ler"i·da noun plural [ New Latin ]
(Zoology) An extensive group of echinoderms, comprising the starfishes and ophiurans.
Stelleridan, Stelleridean Stel·ler"i·dan, Stel`ler·id"e·an noun (Zoology) A starfish, or brittle star.
Stelliferous Stel·lif"er·ous adjective [ Latin
stellifer ;
stella star +
ferre to bear.]
Having, or abounding with, stars.
Stelliform Stel"li·form adjective [ Latin
stella a star +
-form .]
Like a star; star-shaped; radiated.
Stellify Stel"li·fy transitive verb [ Latin
stella a star +
-fy .]
To turn into a star; to cause to appear like a star; to place among the stars, or in heaven. [ Obsolete or R.]
B. Jonson.
Stellion Stel"lion noun [ Latin
stellio a newt having starlike spots on its back, from
stella a star.]
(Zoology) A lizard ( Stellio vulgaris ), common about the Eastern Mediterranean among ruins. In color it is olive- green, shaded with black, with small stellate spots. Called also hardim , and star lizard .
Stellionate Stel"lion·ate noun [ Latin
stellionatus cozenage, trickery, from
stellio a newt, a crafty, knavish person.]
(Scots & Roman Law) Any fraud not distinguished by a more special name; -- chiefly applied to sales of the same property to two different persons, or selling that for one's own which belongs to another, etc. Erskine.
Stellular Stel"lu·lar adjective [ Latin
stellula , dim. of
stella a star.]
1. Having the shape or appearance of little stars; radiated. 2. Marked with starlike spots of color.
Stellulate Stel"lu·late adjective (Botany) Minutely stellate.
Stelmatopoda Stel`ma·top"o·da noun plural [ New Latin , from Greek ... a block, post + ..., ..., eye + ..., ..., foot.]
(Zoology) Same as Gymnolæmata .
Stelography Ste·log"ra·phy noun [ Greek ... a post, slab, pillar +
-graphy : confer Greek ... an inscription on a tablet.]
The art of writing or inscribing characters on pillars. [ R.]
Stackhouse.
Stem Stem (stĕm)
noun [ Anglo-Saxon
stemn ,
stefn ,
stæfn ; akin to Old Saxon
stamn the stem of a ship, Dutch
stam stem,
steven stem of a ship, German
stamm stem,
steven stem of a ship, Icelandic
stafn ,
stamn , stem of a ship,
stofn ,
stomn , stem, Swedish
stam a tree trunk, Danish
stamme . Confer
Staff ,
Stand .]
1. The principal body of a tree, shrub, or plant, of any kind; the main stock; the part which supports the branches or the head or top. After they are shot up thirty feet in length, they spread a very large top, having no bough nor twig in the trunk or the stem .
Sir W. Raleigh. The lowering spring, with lavish rain,
Beats down the slender stem and breaded grain.
Dryden. 2. A little branch which connects a fruit, flower, or leaf with a main branch; a peduncle, pedicel, or petiole; as, the stem of an apple or a cherry. 3. The stock of a family; a race or generation of progenitors. "All that are of noble
stem ."
Milton. While I do pray, learn here thy stem
And true descent.
Herbert. 4. A branch of a family. This is a stem
Of that victorious stock.
Shak. 5. (Nautical) A curved piece of timber to which the two sides of a ship are united at the fore end. The lower end of it is scarfed to the keel, and the bowsprit rests upon its upper end. Hence, the forward part of a vessel; the bow. 6. Fig.: An advanced or leading position; the lookout. Wolsey sat at the stem more than twenty years.
Fuller. 7. Anything resembling a stem or stalk; as, the stem of a tobacco pipe; the stem of a watch case, or that part to which the ring, by which it is suspended, is attached. 8. (Botany) That part of a plant which bears leaves, or rudiments of leaves, whether rising above ground or wholly subterranean. 9. (Zoology) (a) The entire central axis of a feather. (b) The basal portion of the body of one of the Pennatulacea, or of a gorgonian. 10. (Mus.) The short perpendicular line added to the body of a note; the tail of a crotchet, quaver, semiquaver, etc. 11. (Gram.) The part of an inflected word which remains unchanged (except by euphonic variations) throughout a given inflection; theme; base. From stem to stern (Nautical) ,
from one end of the ship to the other, or through the whole length. --
Stem leaf (Botany) ,
a leaf growing from the stem of a plant, as contrasted with a basal or radical leaf.
Stem Stem transitive verb 1. To remove the stem or stems from; as, to stem cherries; to remove the stem and its appendages (ribs and veins) from; as, to stem tobacco leaves. 2. To ram, as clay, into a blasting hole.
Stem Stem transitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Stemmed ;
present participle & verbal noun Stemming .] [ Either from
stem , noun , or akin to
stammer ; confer German
stemmen to press against.]
To oppose or cut with, or as with, the stem of a vessel; to resist, or make progress against; to stop or check the flow of, as a current. "An argosy to
stem the waves."
Shak. [ They] stem the flood with their erected breasts.
Denham. Stemmed the wild torrent of a barbarous age.
Pope.
Stem Stem intransitive verb To move forward against an obstacle, as a vessel against a current. Stemming nightly toward the pole.
Milton.
Stem-clasping Stem"-clasp`ing adjective (Botany) Embracing the stem with its base; amplexicaul, as a leaf or petiole.
Stem-winder Stem"-wind`er noun A stem- winding watch. [ Colloq.]
Stem-winding Stem"-wind`ing adjective Wound by mechanism connected with the stem; as, a stem-winding watch.
Stem, Steem Stem, Steem intransitive verb To gleam. [ Obsolete]
His head bald, that shone as any glass, . . .
[ And] stemed as a furnace of a leed [ caldron].
Chaucer.
Stem, Steem Stem, Steem noun A gleam of light; flame. [ Obsolete]
Stemless Stem"less adjective Having no stem; (Botany) acaulescent.
Stemlet Stem"let noun A small or young stem.
Stemma Stem"ma noun ;
plural Stemmata . [ New Latin , from Greek ..., plural ..., a garland or chaplet.]
(Zoology) (a) One of the ocelli of an insect. See Ocellus . (b) One of the facets of a compound eye of any arthropod.
Stemmer Stem"mer noun One who, or that which, stems (in any of the senses of the verbs).
Stemmery Stem"mer·y noun A large building in which tobacco is stemmed. [ U. S.]
Bartlett.
Stemmy Stem"my adjective Abounding in stems, or mixed with stems; -- said of tea, dried currants, etc. [ Colloq.]
Stemple Stem"ple noun [ German
stempel a stamp, a prop, akin to English
stamp .]
(Mining) A crossbar of wood in a shaft, serving as a step.
Stemson Stem"son noun [ See
Stem ,
noun , and
Keelson , and confer
Sternson .]
(Shipbuilding) A piece of curved timber bolted to the stem, keelson, and apron in a ship's frame near the bow.
Stench Stench transitive verb To stanch. [ Obsolete]
Harvey.
Stench Stench noun [ Anglo-Saxon
stenc a strong smell, from
stincan . See
Stink ,
intransitive verb ]
1. A smell; an odor. [ Obsolete]
Clouds of savory stench involve the sky.
Dryden. 2. An ill smell; an offensive odor; a stink. Cowper. Stench trap ,
a contrivance to prevent stench or foul air from rising from the openings of sewers, drains, etc.
Stench Stench transitive verb [ Anglo-Saxon
stencan to emit a smell, from
stincan to smell. See
Stench ,
noun ]
To cause to emit a disagreeable odor; to cause to stink. [ Obsolete]
Young.
Stenchy Stench"y adjective Having a stench. [ Obsolete]
Dyer.
Stencil Sten"cil noun [ Probably from Old French
estincelle spangle, spark, French
étincelle spark, Latin
scintilla . See
Scintillate , and confer
Tinsel .]
A thin plate of metal, leather, or other material, used in painting, marking, etc. The pattern is cut out of the plate, which is then laid flat on the surface to be marked, and the color brushed over it. Called also stencil plate .
Stencil Sten"cil transitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Stenciled or
Stencilled ;
present participle & verbal noun Stenciling or
Stencilling .]
To mark, paint, or color in figures with stencils; to form or print by means of a stencil.
Stenciler Sten"cil·er noun One who paints or colors in figures by means of stencil. [ Written also
stenciller .]
Stenoderm Sten"o·derm noun [ Greek
steno`s narrow, little +
-derm .]
(Zoology) Any species of bat belonging to the genus Stenoderma , native of the West Indies and South America. These bats have a short or rudimentary tail and a peculiarly shaped nose membrane.
Stenodermine Sten`o·der"mine adjective (Zoology) Of or pertaining to the genus Stenoderma , which includes several West Indian and South American nose-leaf bats.
Stenograph Sten"o·graph transitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Stenographed ;
present participle & verbal noun Stenographing .]
To write or report in stenographic characters.
Stenograph Sten"o·graph noun A production of stenography; anything written in shorthand. I saw the reporters' room, in which they redact their hasty stenographs .
Emerson.
Stenographer Ste·nog"ra·pher noun One who is skilled in stenography; a writer of shorthand.
Stenographic, Stenographical Sten`o·graph"ic, Sten`o·graph"ic·al adjective [ Confer French
sténographique .]
Of or pertaining to stenography.
Stenographist Ste·nog"ra·phist noun A stenographer.
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