pipestem

English

Etymology

From pipe +‎ stem.

Noun

pipestem (plural pipestems)

1. The hollow stem or tube of a pipe used for smoking tobacco, etc.
   • 1855 November 10, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, The Song of Hiawatha, Boston, Mass.: Ticknor and Fields, →OCLC, page 12:

     From the margin of a river / Took a long reed for a pipe-stem, / With its dark green leaves upon it; […]

2. The pale bridewort (Spiraea alba).
3. A driveway that leads to multiple residences, often maintained or owned jointly by the residents along the driveway; a shared driveway.

   Synonym: pipestem driveway

   • 1994 October 1, Maryann Haggerty, “Driveway to distraction”, in The Washington Post‎^[1], Washington, D.C., retrieved 11 January 2022:

     The families live at the end of what's called a "pipestem" driveway, a narrow private avenue that connects their properties to Compton Road near Clifton. Without the driveway, three of the four lots would be completely landlocked, with no way to get to the main road.

   • 2004 February 25, “Shared driveways one builder’s option”, in Burke Connection‎^[2], Alexandria, Va.: Connection Newspapers, retrieved 11 January 2022:

     Although Washburn defined the house location as a cul-de-sac rather than a pipestem, it was a shared driveway off a main road with all the mailboxes grouped together at the entrance to the main road.

Related terms

• pipestem lot