1. a word or phrase that serves as the main entry in a dictionary or glossary
Usage: linguistics
2. a subsidiary proposition used in proving a main theorem
Usage: mathematics; logic

Examples

• The dictionary lists ‘run’ as the lemma for all its inflected forms like ‘running’ and ‘ran’.
• Students must identify the correct lemma when looking up irregular verbs.
• The mathematician proved several lemmas before tackling the main theorem.
• This lemma will be essential for understanding the proof that follows.
• Each lemma in the glossary includes multiple related word forms.
• The textbook presents three lemmas leading up to the final conclusion.