root stemn.
/ˈruːt stɛm/, U.S. /ˈrut ˌstɛm/, /ˈrʊt ˌstɛm/ 1. Botany. Any stem-like root or rootlike stem, as an aerial root, caudex, rhizome, etc.
ΚΠ
?a1425 (?1373) Lelamour Herbal (1938) f. 11 (MED) The rote stam sodyn and stampid will draw oute brokyn bonys yf hit be laide þere to.
1775 J. Anderson Ess. Agric. i. i. 66 The root-stems, increasing in size proportionally, would in time close the intervals.
1805 R. W. Dickson Pract. Agric. II. 751 The earth being well laid upon the hills round the root-stems of the plants.
1850 Ann. Hort. 295/2 Perennial weeds are much more difficult of removal than annual ones, especially those of them which have creeping roots or root-stems.
1862 Recreative Sci. 3 91/2 Other roots have in addition to their fibres, their caudex, or root-stem, which may be simple, branched, or fleshy.
1888 Jrnl. Hort., Cottage Gardener & Home Farmer 1 Mar. 183/2 Most of the silvery-leaved Begonias have very large leaves, and form thick flesh root-stems or rhizomes, not tubers.
1916 Standard Cycl. Hort. IV. 2401 at Orchid Anœctlochilous. Terrestrial tropical orchids with creeping root-stems, foliage beautifully marked.
2005 Miami Herald (Nexis) 29 May 13 h A rich soil that drains well will benefit the development of the underground tuber or root stem.
2. Linguistics. A morphological stem which is identical to the root from which it is derived, with no affixation.
ΚΠ
1879 W. D. Whitney Sanskrit Gram. v. 129 Root-stems, having in them no demonstrable element added to a root.
1916 E. V. Greenfield Techn. & Sci. German p. vii These words are always composed of short root-stems, with which the student..will usually find himself familiar.
2005 A. M. Hargrave in B. Swann Algonquian Spirit 43 These words gained their strength from the natural tendency of Algonquian root stems to carry additional metaphorical freight.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, November 2010; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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