Limma

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

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.

The 5-limit limma (now a diesis), ⁠ 128 / 125 ⁠, the amount by which three just major thirds fall short of an octave (play).

The major limma, ⁠ 135 / 128 ⁠, which is the difference between two major whole tones and a minor third (play).

Metre

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:

a breath mark
a comma [,]
a sixteenth rest ( $𝄿$ ) or perhaps a thirty-second rest ( $𝅀$ )

References

" $λεῖμμα$ ". 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 .

[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 .

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