lemma

1 of 2

noun (1)

lem·​ma ˈle-mə 

plural lemmas or lemmata ˈle-mə-tə 

1

: an auxiliary proposition used in the demonstration of another proposition

2

: the argument or theme of a composition prefixed as a title or introduction

also : the heading or theme of a comment or note on a text

3

: a glossed word or phrase

lemma

2 of 2

noun (2)

: the lower of the two bracts enclosing the flower in the spikelet of grasses

Examples of lemma in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

In the end, the group derived a collection of complex lemmas, or intermediate steps in a theorem, that, together with the categories, used proof by contradiction to find no matching paths. —Lyndie Chiou, Scientific American, 27 Mar. 2025

In the 1970s, Lovász collaborated with Erdős to devise a complementary technique, called the Lovász local lemma, that works for proving the existence of graphs that are very rare. —Quanta Magazine, 17 Mar. 2021

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Latin, from Greek lēmma thing taken, assumption, from lambanein to take — more at latch

Noun (2)

Greek, husk, from lepein to peel — more at leper

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1570, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

1906, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing lemma

• Zorn's lemma

Rhymes for lemma

• emma
• gemma
• angioedema
• dilemma
• oedema
• lymphedema
• papilledema
• plasmalemma
• sarcolemma