[stem.ma] n, pl stem.ma.ta [L, wreath, pedigree (fr. the wreaths placed on ancestral images), fr. Gk, wreath, fr. stephein to crown, enwreathe] (1826) 1: a simple eye present in some insects
2: a scroll (as among the ancient Romans) containing a genealogical list
3: a tree showing the relationships of the manuscripts of a literary work -- stem.mat.ic adj