Lemma

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -É›mÉ™

Origin

From Ancient Greek λῆμμα (lēmma, "premise, assumption"), from λαμβάνω (lambanō, "I take").

Full definition of lemma

Noun

1. (mathematics) A proposition proved or accepted for immediate use in the proof of some other proposition.
2. (linguistics, usually) The canonical form of an inflected word.
3. (linguistics, less frequently) A lexeme; all the inflected forms of a term.
4. (botany) One of the specialized bracts around the floret in grasses.

Synonyms

• citation form

Related terms

• dilemma
• sublemma
• tetralemma
• trilemma