n., pl., stem·ma·ta (stĕm'ə-tə), or stem·mas.
- A scroll recording the genealogy of an ancient Roman family; a family tree.
- The genealogy of the manuscripts of a literary work.
- A small, circular, simple eye present in various insect larvae.
[Latin stemma, stemmat-, from Greek, garland, from stephein, to encircle.]
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.
