Stipe

//staɪp// noun, slang

noun, slang ·Moderate ·College level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    The stem of a mushroom, kelp, etc.
  2. 2
    A stipendiary magistrate. historical, slang

    "The lay magistrates in many parts of the country were cautious about the infringement by stipendiaries on to their particular patch, not least being that the stipe would take the more interesting work and leave them the dross."

  3. 3
    supporting stalk or stem-like structure especially of a pistil or fern frond or supporting a mushroom cap wordnet
  4. 4
    The trunk of a tree.
  5. 5
    The caudicle within the pollinarium of an orchid flower
Show 1 more definition
  1. 6
    The petiole of the frond of a fern or palm

Example

More examples

"The lay magistrates in many parts of the country were cautious about the infringement by stipendiaries on to their particular patch, not least being that the stipe would take the more interesting work and leave them the dross."

Etymology

Etymology 1

From French stipe, from Latin stipes (“a stock, post, branch”).

Etymology 2

Shortened from stipendiary.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.