Noah Webster
Stub
STUB, noun [Latin , setting, fixing. See Stop.]
1. The stump of a tree; that part of the stem of a tree which remains fixed int he earth when the tree is cut down. [Stub, in the United States, I believe is never used for the stump of an herbaceous plant.]
2. A log; a block. [Not in use.]
STUB, verb transitive
1. To grub up by the roots; to extirpate; as, to stub up edible roots.
2. To strike the toes against a stump, stone or other fixed object.