lemma
1a subsidiary proposition introduced in proving some other proposition; a helping theorem.
an argument, theme, or subject, especially when indicated in a heading.
a word or phrase that is glossed; headword.
Origin of lemma
1Words Nearby lemma
Other definitions for lemma (2 of 2)
a bract in a grass spikelet just below the pistil and stamens.
Origin of lemma
2Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use lemma in a sentence
While working on one of them, Morel realized her proof called for a lemma — a type of short steppingstone result — that mathlib didn’t have.
Building the Mathematical Library of the Future | Kevin Hartnett | October 1, 2020 | Quanta MagazineSome American Authors have recently adopted for the flowering glume the term lemma introduced by Piper.
A Handbook of Some South Indian Grasses | Rai Bahadur K. Ranga AchariyarThe method of exhaustion used, for the purpose of proof by reductio ad absurdum, the lemma proved in Eucl.
The Legacy of Greece | VariousHis apparatus is the first to supply a lemma for each variant reading reported, and is clear and easy to read.
The Last Poems of Ovid | OvidThe lemma in his note is Oratesque, the reading of Daniel Heinsius' edition.
The Last Poems of Ovid | Ovid
British Dictionary definitions for lemma (1 of 2)
/ (ˈlɛmə) /
a subsidiary proposition, proved for use in the proof of another proposition
linguistics a word considered as its citation form together with all the inflected forms. For example, the lemma go consists of go together with goes, going, went, and gone
an argument or theme, esp when used as the subject or title of a composition
Origin of lemma
1British Dictionary definitions for lemma (2 of 2)
/ (ˈlɛmə) /
the outer of two bracts surrounding each floret in a grass spikelet: Compare palea
Origin of lemma
2Collins 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 lemma
[ lĕm′ə ]
The outer or lower of the two bracts enclosing one of the flowers within a grass spikelet.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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