stub \stub\, n. oe. stubbe, as. stub, styb; akin to d. stobbe,
   lg. stubbe, dan. stub, sw. stubbe, icel. stubbr, stubbi; cf.
   gr. ?.
   1. the stump of a tree; that part of a tree or plant which
      remains fixed in the earth when the stem is cut down; --
      applied especially to the stump of a small tree, or shrub.
      1913 webster

            stubs sharp and hideous to behold.    --chaucer.
      1913 webster

            and prickly stubs instead of trees are found.
                                                  --dryden.
      1913 webster

   2. a log; a block; a blockhead. obs. --milton.
      1913 webster

   3. the short blunt part of anything after larger part has
      been broken off or used up; hence, anything short and
      thick; as, the stub of a pencil, candle, or cigar.
      1913 webster

   4. a part of a leaf in a check book, after a check is torn
      out, on which the number, amount, and destination of the
      check are usually recorded.
      1913 webster

   5. a pen with a short, blunt nib.
      1913 webster

   6. a stub nail; an old horseshoe nail; also, stub iron.
      1913 webster

   stub end mach., the enlarged end of a connecting rod, to
      which the strap is fastened.

   stub iron, iron made from stub nails, or old horseshoe
      nails, -- used in making gun barrels.

   stub mortise carp., a mortise passing only partly through
      the timber in which it is formed.

   stub nail, an old horseshoe nail; a nail broken off; also,
      a short, thick nail.

   stub short, or stub shot lumber manuf., the part of the
      end of a sawn log or plank which is beyond the place where
      the saw kerf ends, and which retains the plank in
      connection with the log, until it is split off.

   stub twist, material for a gun barrel, made of a spirally
      welded ribbon of steel and stub iron combined.
      1913 webster
see also:
stub end stub iron stub mortise stub nail stub short stub shot 
stub twist