Definition

1. Noun:
   • A stem-winder: A type of mechanical watch that is wound by turning a small knob (the crown) located on the watch's stem, rather than requiring a separate key.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • My grandfather's antique stem-winder still keeps perfect time.
  • Collectors often seek out early 20th-century stem-winders for their craftsmanship.

Advanced Usage

• The term "stem-winder" can be used metaphorically to describe something, especially a speech, that is rousing, energetic, and builds to a powerful finish, by analogy with the winding mechanism. However, this is a separate, figurative meaning.
  • The politician delivered a real stem-winder of a speech that energized the entire crowd.

Variants and Related Words

• Stem-winding (adj): Describing a watch that operates via this mechanism.
  • He owns a rare stem-winding pocket watch.

Synonyms

• Keyless-wind watch: A more technical synonym.
• Crown-wound watch: A descriptive synonym focusing on the part used to wind it.

Notes on Meaning

• The primary and literal meaning refers specifically to a timepiece and its winding mechanism. The metaphorical meaning, while established, is a distinct figurative extension and not the core definition of the object itself.

Noun

1. a watch that is wound by turning a knob at the stem