trunk / tribe
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trunk
The thick, woody main part of a tree that grows out of the ground and supports the branches.
Der Stamm dieser alten Eiche hat einen Umfang von drei Metern.
The trunk of this old oak tree has a circumference of three meters.
The noun 'der Stamm' (trunk/tribe) is closely related to the verb 'stammen' (to come from, to originate). This connection helps you understand the meanings related to origin, as in a tribe or family lineage.
Diese Tradition stammt von einem alten germanischen Stamm.
This tradition comes from an old Germanic tribe.
Because 'Stamm' has many meanings, context is crucial. Words like 'Baum' (tree) or 'Holz' (wood) point to the tree trunk, 'Kneipe' (pub) or 'Kunde' (customer) to regular customers, and 'Grammatik' (grammar) or 'Wort' (word) to the word stem.
Der Holzarbeiter fällte den Stamm mit einer Axt.
The woodworker felled the trunk with an axe.
The meanings of 'Stamm' in biology (classification of living organisms) and linguistics (base form of a word) are technical terms. They are rarely used in everyday language.
In der Biologie gehört der Mensch zum Stamm der Wirbeltiere.
In biology, humans belong to the phylum of vertebrates.
When talking about a tree, 'Stamm' is often combined with adjectives like 'dick' (thick), 'alt' (old), or 'hohl' (hollow). A typical preposition is 'am' to describe a position.
Ein Specht klopfte ein Loch in den dicken Stamm der Birke.
A woodpecker pecked a hole in the thick trunk of the birch tree.
In the meaning of 'regular customers', 'Stamm' is very often used as the first part of compound words. The most important ones are 'der Stammgast' (regular guest), 'der Stammkunde' (regular customer), and 'die Stammkneipe' (regular pub).
Als Stammkunde erhalten Sie bei uns 10 % Rabatt.
As a regular customer, you receive a 10% discount with us.
In connection with family history, 'Stamm' is often used with verbs like 'zurückverfolgen' (to trace back) or 'nachweisen' (to prove/document) to document a family's origins.
Sie konnte den Stamm ihrer Familie bis ins Mittelalter zurückverfolgen.
She was able to trace her family's lineage back to the Middle Ages.
class
In biology, 'die Klasse' and 'der Stamm' can both be parts of a classification system for living organisms. But there they do not mean the same thing. 'Stamm' is a higher level in biological classification. 'Klasse' is below it. Learners may confuse the words because both appear in tables about animals or plants and sound similarly technical. The order is important: one 'Stamm' contains several 'Klassen'. So when it comes to this biological classification, you have to pay close attention to the level.
Der Stamm der Gliederfüßer umfasst sehr viele verschiedene Tierarten.
The phylum of arthropods includes a very large number of different animal species.
Die Insekten bilden eine Klasse innerhalb der Gliederfüßer.
Insects form a class within the arthropods.