1. [n]  the small unused part of something (especially the end of a cigarette that is left after smoking)
2. [n]  the part of a check that is retained as a record
3. [n]  a torn part of a ticket returned to the holder as a receipt
4. [n]  a small piece; "a nub of coal"; "a stub of a pencil"
5. [n]  a short piece remaining on a trunk or stem where a branch is lost
6. [v]  strike against an object, as of one's toe or foot

1. \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.
            Stubs sharp and hideous to behold.    --Chaucer.
            And prickly stubs instead of trees are found.
                                                  --Dryden.
   2. A log; a block; a blockhead. [Obs.] --Milton.
   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.
   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.
   5. A pen with a short, blunt nib.
   6. A stub nail; an old horseshoe nail; also, stub iron.
   {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.
   

2. \Stub\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Stubbed}; p. pr. & vb. n.
   {Stubbing}.]
   1. To grub up by the roots; to extirpate; as, to stub up
      edible roots.
            What stubbing, plowing, digging, and harrowing is to
            a piece of land.                      --Berkley.
   2. To remove stubs from; as, to stub land.
   3. To strike as the toes, against a stub, stone, or other
      fixed object. [U. S.]
   

1. A dummy procedure used when linking a program with a run-time library. The stub routine need not contain any code and is only present to prevent "undefined label" errors at link time.

2. A local procedure in a remote procedure call. The client calls the stub to perform some task and need not necessarily be aware that RPC is involved. The stub transmits parameters over the network to the server and returns the results to the caller.