I. ˈstəb noun
Etymology: Middle English stubb, from Old English stybb; akin to Old Norse stūfr stump, Greek stypos stem
Date: before 12th century
1.
a. : stump 2
b. : a short piece remaining on a stem or trunk where a branch has been lost
2. : something made or worn to a short or blunt shape ; especially : a pen with a short blunt nib
3. : a short blunt part left after a larger part has been broken off or used up
a pencil stub
4. : something cut short or stunted
5.
a. : a small part of a leaf (as of a checkbook) attached to the spine for memoranda of the contents of the part torn away
b. : the part of a ticket returned to the user
II. transitive verb
( stubbed ; stub·bing )
Date: 15th century
1.
a. : to grub up by the roots
b. : to clear (land) by grubbing out rooted growth
c. : to hew or cut down (a tree) close to the ground
2. : to extinguish (as a cigarette) by crushing
3. : to strike (one's foot or toe) against an object