main stem

noun

|Updated on: 8 Aug 2018

Definition of main stem

: a main trunk or channel: such as

a : the main course of a river or stream

b : the main street of a city or town

Recent Examples of main stem from the Web

Harvest the entire crop at the first sign of bolting by using a sharp knife to cut through the main stem just below the soil surface.

— the editors of organic life, Good Housekeeping, "How To Grow The Tastiest Spinach," 15 Feb. 2018
Most architecture tours sail through the main stem of the Chicago River as well as venturing into the North and South branches.

— hailey mensik, chicagotribune.com, "Architecture tours lead the way in bringing visitors to increasingly crowded Chicago River," 5 July 2018
Prune the top to be 2.5 times as large as the container and keep it at that size by tipping back the main stems.

— calvin finch, San Antonio Express-News, "Container plants perfect for the San Antonio summer heat," 15 June 2018
Flood warnings are up all along the Potomac, including both the main stem (above the District) and the tidal portion (including the District).

— jason samenow, Washington Post, "After 10 inches of rain in D.C., the Potomac is about to hit highest level in 8 years," 4 June 2018
The improved nutrients from the wetlands will help provide food for salmon in the river's main stem.

— edward stratton, The Christian Science Monitor, "Farmers reshape land along Columbia River to bring salmon back," 2 Apr. 2018
These are flightless insects that must crawl up the main stem or trunk of the plant to reach the leaves.

— debbie arrington, sacbee, "This hungry mystery bug will always be female," 6 Oct. 2017
Cuttings are either taken from the mother plant or, if a plant is old or root bound, can be taken by cutting the head off the main stem and starting over.

— leslie crawford, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Propagating succulents? You can do it three ways," 8 Sep. 2017
Hernandez said there was no time frame for removing the drydock debris from the main stem of the channel, which is key to moving crude oil to refineries.

— libby george, Fortune, "U.S. Gas Prices Are Down As Oil Industry Rebounds from Harvey," 4 Sep. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'main stem.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of main stem

1671

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