stub
UK: stʌb | US: stʌb
n. a short remaining piece of something (e.g., pencil, ticket)
n. a truncated or unfinished part (e.g., a stub of a document)
vt. to strike accidentally against a hard object
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The word "stub" originates from Old English stybb, meaning "tree stump," reflecting its core idea of something cut short or remaining. Over time, it broadened to describe any truncated or residual object. Its verb form emerged from the action of striking against a fixed, short object (like a stump). The word retains its compact, Germanic-rooted structure without clear morpheme divisions.
He kept the ticket stub as a souvenir.
The pencil was worn down to a stub.
She stubbed her toe on the table leg.
The document was just a stub of its original form.
The tree was cut, leaving only a stub in the ground.