Stump
/stʌmp/noun
The base part of a tree left standing after the rest has been cut off; by extension, a short, thick remaining piece.
Did you know?English stump is old Germanic wood-language, and its sense of a short remaining piece later helped create the political phrase “on the stump” for public campaigning.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*stumpaz
“a stub, stump, or short projection”
Old English
OE
stump
“a stump or short, blunt piece”
Middle English
ME
stompe / stump
“a stump; a short blunt piece”
Modern English
English
stump
“the base of a tree left after cutting; a short remaining piece”