Stämme

Stämme is the plural form of Stamm in German and can refer to several distinct concepts depending on the context. In botany and horticulture, Stämme denotes stems or trunks of plants and trees. The stem is the above-ground axis that supports leaves and reproductive structures and acts as a conduit for water, minerals, and sugars between roots and shoots. Stems can be herbaceous or woody, and their morphology varies with species and function, including structures such as primary and secondary growth.

In ethnography and anthropology, Stämme is used to describe tribes, clans, or kin groups. A Stamm is typically a large social unit defined by ancestry and customary authority, and a Stammgesellschaft refers to a society organized around lineage-based segments rather than centralized states. The term appears in German-language scholarship on Africa, the Americas, and pre-modern Europe, though its precise meaning can differ by regional and historical tradition.

In linguistics and grammar, Stämme denotes word stems or roots. The Wortstamm is the part of a word to which affixes attach, and Stammformen or Stammeformen refer to the principal parts or stems used to generate inflected forms in verbs and other word classes.

Etymology traces the word Stamm to Germanic origins, with cognates in other Germanic languages and a general sense of trunk, stem, or lineage. The term thus spans biology, social anthropology, and linguistics, reflecting its broad use in German terminology.