German word

stammen

Pronunciation

IPA/ˈʃtamən/

Meaning

  • verbcome from

Example

Diese Idee stammt aus dem alten Buch.

This idea comes from the old book.

Illustration for stammen (come from)

More examples

Ihre Familie stammt aus Polen.

Their family comes from Poland.

Core concept

A line leads backward from something to the family tree, source, or place where it first took shape.

Common phrases

  • Seine Wurzeln stammen aus

    his roots come from ___

  • Das Wort stammt aus

    the word comes from ___

Similar words

kommen (aus): States where a person or thing comes from in ordinary conversation.
herkommen: Indicates where someone or something comes from in casual speech.

Definition in German

Von etwas abstammen; den Ursprung in etwas haben

Word origin

Stammen developed from Stamm, 'trunk' or 'lineage', as the notion of sharing a trunk came to express where people and things originate.

Usage tips

  • Stammen often presents origin as a factual or traceable connection, while kommen aus is the more ordinary choice for stating where a person comes from.

Other meanings

  • be fromverb

Word lists with this word