LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · femininefirst declension

gemma

gemma f (genitive gemmae)
Classical[ˈɡɛm.ma]Ecclesiastical[ˈd͡ʒɛm.ma]
Mille Verba core vocabulary

Meaning

  1. feminineA bud or eye of a plant.
    Itaque, ineunte vērē, in eīs quae relicta sunt exsistit — tamquam ad articulōs sarmentōrum — ea quae gemma dīcitur, ā quā oriēns ūvā sē ostendit […].And so, at the start of spring, there emerges from those [parts of the vines] remaining — as if at the “joints” of the twigs — that which is called a bud, from which the emerging grape reveals itself.106 BCE – 43 BCE, Cicero, Cato Maior de Senectute 15.53
  2. feminineA gem, gemstone, jewel, precious stone.
  3. feminineA thing made of precious stones.

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

lapis pretiōsus et clārus; gemmae ōrnāmenta sunt.
gemma -ae f — in Mille Verba, ch. Vestis et Ōrnāmenta

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativegemmagemmae
genitivegemmaegemmārum
dativegemmaegemmīs
accusativegemmamgemmās
ablativegemmāgemmīs
vocativegemmagemmae

Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book

gemmas agere
to bud, blossom.
gemmae proveniunt
the trees are budding.

gemma, ae, f. cf. Gr. γέμω, to be full; Lat. gumia; lit. a fulness, swelling. The ancients supposed the original meaning to be a precious stone, Quint. 8, 6, 6; cf. Cic. Or. 24, 81; id. de Or. 3, 38, 155,
I. a bud, eye, or gem on a plant.
I. Lit.: ineunte vere exsistit tamquam ad articulos sarmentorum ea, quae gemma dicitur, Cic. de Sen. 15, 53: (pampinus) trudit gemmas et frondes explicat omnes, Verg. G. 2, 335; jam laeto turgent in palmite gemmae, id. E. 7, 48; Col. 4, 29, 4.—
II. Transf. (from the resemblance to buds in shape and color), a precious stone, esp. one already cut, a jewel, gem, the predom. signif. of the word (opp. lapillus, one that is opaque, v. Dig. 34, 2, 19, § 17; cf. also: margarita, unio): nego in Sicilia tota ... ullam gemmam aut margaritam, quicquam ex auro aut ebore factum ... quin conquisierit, etc., Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 1, § 1: pocula ex auro gemmis distincta clarissimis, id. ib. 2, 4, 27, § 62: vas vinarium ex una gemma pergrandi, id. ib.: Cyri ornatus Persicus multo auro multisque gemmis, id. de Sen. 17, 59: gemmas sunt qui non habeant, Hor. Ep. 2, 2, 180: cum virides gemmas collo circumdedit (mulier), Juv. 6, 458: non gemmis venale, Hor. C. 2, 16, 7: vitrea, i. e. a false gem, Plin. 35, 6, 30, § 48; also called facticia, id. 37, 7, 26, § 98: nec premit articulos lucida gemma meos, Ov. H. 15, 74: nec sufferre queat majoris pondera gemmae, Juv. 1, 29: usus luxuriantis aetatis signaturas pretiosis gemmis coepit insculpere, Capitol. ap. Macr. S. 7, 13, 11; Vulg. Exod. 25, 7 et saep. —
2. Transf.
a. Things made of precious stones.
(a). A drinking-vessel, goblet or cup, made of a precious stone: nec bibit e gemma divite nostra sitis, Prop. 3, 5 (4, 4), 4; cf.: ut gemmā bibat, Verg. G. 2, 506: gemmā ministrare, Sen. Prov. 3 fin.; cf. also: in gemma posuere merum, Ov. M. 8, 572.—
(b). A seal ring, signet: protinus impressā signat sua crimina gemmā, Ov. M. 9, 566; cf. Plin. 37, 1, 2, § 3; 37, 5, 20, § 78: arguit ipsorum quos littera gemmaque, Juv. 13, 138; 1, 68.—Hence, comically: Pl. Opsecro parentis ne meos mihi prohibeas? Cu. Quid? ego sub gemmane apstrussos habeo tuam matrem et patrem? i. e. under lock and key, Plaut. Curc. 5, 2, 8.—
b. A pearl (poet.): legitur rubris gemma sub aequoribus. Prop. 1, 14, 12: cedet Erythraeis eruta gemma vadis, Mart. 8, 28, 14. —
c. The eyes of the peacock's tail: gemmis caudam stellantibus implet, Ov. M. 1, 723; cf.: gemmea cauda, Phaedr. 3, 18, 8). —
B. Trop., like gem in English, ornament, beauty (post-Aug. and very rare): multas in digitis, plures in carmine gemmas Invenies, Mart. 5, 11, 3: Hesperius gemma amicorum, Sid. Ep. 4, 22.

Origins

Unknown. Possibilities include: * Cognate with Proto-Slavic *zębnǫti and Lithuanian žémbėti, both meaning “to germinate, sprout”, perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *ǵemb- or *ǵeb- (“to bud, sprout”), though such a root would be irregular for PIE; * From Proto-Indo-European *ǵembʰ- (“nail, tooth”), despite the semantic gap. Compare, however, Ancient Greek ὄνυξ (ónux, “claw, nail, hoof, talon, but also onyx (gem)”); * From Proto-Italic *gen- (“to produce”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh₁-; compare gignō and genus; * A non-Indo-European substrate source. The unusual form of the word, the lack of clear cognates and the semantic category of the word make this hypothesis likely.

Descendants
  • Catalangemma
  • Frenchgemme
  • Romaniangemăfrom French gemme
  • Englishgemma
  • Italiangemma
  • Portuguesegemafrom Old Galician-Portuguese gema
  • Spanishyemafrom Old Spanish yema
  • Spanishgema
  • Catalangemafrom Spanish gema
  • Asturianxema

In the Academy Smith's classical dictionaries

AntiquitiesGemmaGemma a gem or precious stone (Greek, λίθος: there is no Greek word for gems as distinguished from ordinary stones. On the supposed rule of the gramma…

Quick answers

What does gemma mean in Latin?
gemma, a noun, means “A bud or eye of a plant.; A gem, gemstone, jewel, precious stone.; A thing made of precious stones.”.
What is the genitive of gemma?
The genitive singular is gemmae. gemma is feminine, first declension.
How do you pronounce gemma?
In classical Latin, [ˈɡɛm.ma]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈd͡ʒɛm.ma].