What context can I use each word in?
Learn when and how to use these words with these examples!
descend
Example
The hiker began to descend the mountain after reaching the summit. [descend: verb]
Example
The family tree descends from European royalty. [descends: present tense]
Example
The temperature will descend to freezing levels tonight. [descend: verb]
stem
Example
The rose stem was long and thorny. [stem: noun]
Example
The word 'chocolate' stems from the Aztec word 'xocolatl'. [stems: present tense]
Example
The police worked to stem the tide of crime in the city. [stem: verb]
Good things to know
Which word is more common?
Stem is more commonly used than descend in everyday language. Stem is versatile and covers a wide range of contexts, while descend is less common and often used in specific situations such as hiking or weather reports.
What’s the difference in the tone of formality between descend and stem?
Both descend and stem are neutral in terms of formality and can be used in both formal and informal contexts.
