noun
lemma
LEM-uh/ˈlemə/
The standard dictionary form representing a word's grammatical forms.
A dictionary lists “run” as the lemma for “runs” and “running.”
Etymology
Greek lēmma meant “something taken or received,” including something taken for granted. In dictionaries, a lemma is the base form used as an entry; the supplied evidence does not explain this specialization.
More examples
- The lemma for “went” is “go.”
- “Child” is the lemma for both “child” and “children.”
- The software groups different grammatical forms under their lemmas.
Forms
lemma · lemmas · lemmata
lemmatize verb — Reduce an inflected word to its dictionary form.
lemmatization noun — Reduction of inflected words to their dictionary forms.
Similar words
- headword
- Names a dictionary entry, not necessarily a representative grammatical form.
- citation form
- Emphasizes the form chosen when citing a word independently.