lemma

Meaning

1. A proposition proved or accepted for immediate use in the proof of some other proposition.
2. A proposition proved or accepted for immediate use in the proof of some other proposition.
3. The canonical form of an inflected word; i.e., the form usually found as the headword in a dictionary, such as the nominative singular of a noun, the bare infinitive of a verb, etc.
4. The theoretical abstract conceptual form of a word, representing a specific meaning, before the creation of a specific phonological form as the sounds of a lexeme, which may find representation in a specific written form as a dictionary or lexicographic word.

Synonyms

flowering glume

subject

theme

headword

posit

postulate

presumption

rubric

supposal

supposition

surmise

text

thesis

title

topic

base form

entry word

lemmata

surmisal

argument

object matter

canonical form

heading

Hyphenated as

lem‧ma

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈlɛmə/

Etymology

From Ancient Greek λῆμμα (lêmma, “premise, assumption”), from the same root as λαμβάνω (lambánō, “I take”).