gemma
/ˈd͡ʒɛmə/
gemma noun: an asexual reproductive structure, as found in animals such as hydra (genus Hydra) and plants such as liverworts (division Marchantiophyta), consisting of a cluster of cells from which new individuals can develop; a bud.
Noun
gemma (plural gemmas or gemmae)
- An asexual reproductive structure, as found in animals such as hydra (genus Hydra) and plants such as liverworts (division Marchantiophyta), consisting of a cluster of cells from which new individuals can develop; a bud.
- I know of no other genera with such intramarginal formation of true gemmae.1969, Rudolf Mathias Schuster, The Hepaticae and Anthocerotae of North America East of the Hundredth Meridian, volume 1, Columbia University Press, page 527
- Gemmae are frequently longer than wide or of irregular shape.
According to Degenkolbe, gemmae-bearing leaves are always different in form from normal leaves.1990, Anthony John Edwin Smith, The Liverworts of Britain and Ireland, page 2
- Synonyms:
- gemmule
Proper noun capitalized: Gemma
Gemma (plural Gemmas)
- A female given name from Italian.
- Gemma. A curious name. He didn't think he had ever come across it before. She would have an outlandish name, either because her equally eccentric parents had labelled her with it or—more likely—she had adopted it herself on the grounds of originality.1971, Ruth Rendell, No More Dying Then, Random House, published 2009, →ISBN, page 35
- Gemma gave him another gushing smile. She wanted to make amends for almost fouling up Blake's deal. "Gemma. What a beautiful name. You are indeed a jewel."1998, Lisa Andrews, Too Late For Love, Robinson Pub., published 1998, →ISBN, page 200
- A bright binary star in the constellation Corona Borealis; Alpha (α) Coronae Borealis.
- Synonyms:
- Alphecca
gemma meaning in Urdu
gemma in Urdu
- آنکھوا
Synonyms of gemma
Forms of gemma
| Noun | |
|---|---|
| plural | gemmas |
| plural | gemmae |
| Proper noun | |
| plural | Gemmas |
| alternative form | Jemma |
Origin of gemma
Learned borrowing from Latin gemma (“bud on a plant”). Doublet of gem and Gemma.
Ultimately from Latin gemma (“jewel”). The given name is mostly borrowed via Italian Gemma; the spelling Jemma in particular is associated with James. Doublet of gemma and gem.
Words formed from gemma
Words that rhyme with gemma
- dilemma
- lemma
- trilemma
- stremma
- ack emma
- emma
- on the horns of a dilemma
- Pema
- pip emma
- problema
- quadrilemma
- tetralemma
1 more rhymesFewer rhymes
Questions about gemma
- What does gemma mean?
- Gemma means an asexual reproductive structure, as found in animals such as hydra (genus Hydra) and plants such as liverworts (division Marchantiophyta), consisting of a cluster of cells from which new individuals can develop; a bud.
- What is gemma in Urdu?
- Gemma in Urdu is آنکھوا. See Gemma meaning in Urdu.
- What part of speech is gemma?
- Gemma can be a noun or a proper noun.
- How do you pronounce gemma?
- Gemma is pronounced /ˈd͡ʒɛmə/.
- What is the plural of gemma?
- The plural of gemma is gemmas.
Words near gemma in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: gemma (page history and authors); Gemma (page history and authors); gemma (Urdu Wiktionary) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-Gemma.wav.
Cite this entry: “gemma.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/gemma. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.