gemma

[ jem-uh ]

noun,plural gem·mae

[jem-ee]. /ˈdʒɛm i/.

a bud.
Botany. a cell or cluster of cells, or a leaflike or budlike body, that separates from the parent plant to form a new organism, as in mosses and liverworts.

Zoology. gemmule (def. 2).

Origin of gemma

First recorded in 1760–70; from Latin: “bud, jewel”; see gem

Words Nearby gemma

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use gemma in a sentence

One day, he turned up with gemma, whom he'd gotten from the pound.
Kids' Author on Trial In Egypt | Nina Strochlic | February 28, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
On the other side were Clay Morrow and his wife, gemma Teller, a couple for whom love has long been synonymous with doom.
Television’s Finest Schlock: The ‘Sons of Anarchy’ Episode ‘One One Six’ Is So Damn Shakespearean | Paula Szuchman | September 18, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
gemma has moved on with Nero, a pimp played by Jimmy Smits who calls himself “a companionator.”
‘Homeland,’ ‘Revenge,’ ‘The Good Wife,’ ‘Sons of Anarchy’ and More: Where We Left Off | Jace Lacob, Maria Elena Fernandez | September 10, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
The landowner and racehorse breeder and his artist wife, gemma, are close friends of the Middleton family.
Pippa Middleton’s Inner Circle Revealed in Charity Ski Donations | Tom Sykes | February 29, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
gemma Hardy is the orphaned daughter of a Scottish woman and an Icelandic fisherman.
Must Reads: Margot Livesey, Robert Walser and More | Wendy Smith, Malcolm Forbes, Jane Ciabattari | February 16, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST

gemma thinks she will be ugly, with great teeth and a red face like the Englishwomen in the Asino, but I do not believe it.
Olive in Italy | Moray Dalton
Orazio Lucis first saw gemma like that, and he followed us home, and then found out who we were and asked questions about us.
Olive in Italy | Moray Dalton
The young man contrived to remain behind in the salotto for a moment and to keep gemma with him.
Olive in Italy | Moray Dalton
It was always so easy to make gemma angry, and lately she had been more capricious and difficult than ever.
Olive in Italy | Moray Dalton
Olive was out giving a lesson when it came, and gemma turned it over, examining the post-mark and the writing.
Olive in Italy | Moray Dalton

British Dictionary definitions for gemma

gemma

/ (ˈdʒɛmə) /

nounplural -mae (-miː)

a small asexual reproductive structure in liverworts, mosses, etc, that becomes detached from the parent and develops into a new individual
zoology another name for gemmule (def. 1)

Origin of gemma

C18: from Latin: bud, gem

Derived forms of gemma

gemmaceous (dʒɛˈmeɪʃəs), adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for gemma

gemma

[ jĕm′ə ]

Plural gemmae (jĕm′ē′)

A budlike mass of undifferentiated tissue which serves as a means of vegetative reproduction among mosses and liverworts. The gemmae, often formed in structures called gemma cups, are usually dispersed from the parent plant by the splashing of raindrops, after which they develop into new individuals.

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