lem·ma¹ (lĕm'ə)
n., pl., -mas, or lem·ma·ta (lĕm'ə-tə).

1. A subsidiary proposition assumed to be valid and used to demonstrate a principal proposition.
2. A theme, argument, or subject indicated in a title.
3. A word or phrase treated in a glossary or similar listing.

[Latin lēmma, from Greek, from lambanein, to take.]

lem·ma² (lĕm'ə)
n.
The outer or lower of the two bracts that enclose the flower in a grass spikelet.

[Greek, husk, from lepein, to peel.]

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

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