A Stub Is What Is Left When Most Is Gone
A stub is a short remaining piece. The word first meant a tree stump.
A stub is the short remaining part of something mostly used up — a pencil, a cigarette, a ticket. Old English *stybb* meant a tree stump, the part left standing after felling, and every modern use keeps that shape: something cut short with a remnant left behind. A ticket stub is the piece retained after tearing, a cheque stub the record left in the book. The verb *to stub your toe* is the same word, from striking against a projecting stump.
- A remnant. *A pencil stub.*
- A ticket counterfoil. *A ticket stub.*
- A tree stump (archaic). *A stub.*
- To strike the toe. *Stubbing his toe.*
- Old English — *stybb*. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | stub | A stub. |
| Plural | stubs | Stubs. |
| Verb | stub | Stubbing. |
| Adjective | stubby | Stubby. |
| Related | stubble | Stubble. |
- Only a pencil stub was left.Remnant.
- Keep your ticket stub.Counterfoil.
- He stubbed his toe.Verb.
Words for what is left over
- Stub — a short remaining piece
- Stump — what remains of a felled tree or limb
- Stubble — short remaining stalks after harvest
- Butt — the thicker end, as of a cigarette
- Counterfoil — the retained half of a document
Old English *stybb*, a tree stump, of Germanic origin, related to *stubble*.
What did stub originally mean?
A tree stump, the part left standing after felling. Every later sense keeps that idea of a remnant.
Is stubble related?
Yes. Both come from the same root, stubble being the short stalks left after harvest.