The word limma or leimma (from Greek: λείμμα, leimma; meaning "remnant") can refer to several different musical intervals, and one form of breath-mark to indicate spacing within lyrics; their only common property is that all are very small either in pitch difference or in time.

Pitch

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More specifically, in Pythagorean tuning (i.e. 3-limit):

  • The original Pythagorean limma,  256 / 243 , a Pythagorean interval (play).

and in 5-limit tuning:

  • The 5-limit diatonic semitone,  16 / 15 (play). Although closer in size to the Pythagorean apotome than to the limma, it has been so called because of its function as a diatonic semitone rather than a chromatic one.

Metre

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A leimma is also the name of a musical / metrical symbol (𝉅) for the timing of sung lyrics. If written over lyrics to it directed the singer to insert the shortest possible pause between words or syllables it was placed over.[1]

Modern equivalents are:

References

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  1. ^ "λεῖμμα". Liddell, Scott, Jones Ancient Greek Lexicon (online) (last edit ed.). 4 September 2023. Retrieved 2024-03-15 – via LSJ - Ancient Greek dictionaries. 2 (b) in Rhythm, the shortest pause, λ. ἐν ῥυθμῷ χρόνος κενὸς ἐλάχιστος Aristid. Quint. 1.18 .