Limma

The word limma or leimma (from Greek: Template:Math, 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, Template:Sfrac, a Pythagorean interval ({{errorTemplate:Main other|Audio file "Pythagorean minor semitone on C.mid" not found}}Template:Category handler).

and in 5-limit tuning:

• The 5-limit diatonic semitone, Template:Sfrac ({{errorTemplate:Main other|Audio file "Just diatonic semitone on C.mid" not found}}Template:Category handler). 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), Template:Sfrac, the amount by which three just major thirds fall short of an octave ({{errorTemplate:Main other|Audio file "5-limit limma on C.mid" not found}}Template:Category handler).

• The major limma, Template:Sfrac, which is the difference between two major whole tones and a minor third ({{errorTemplate:Main other|Audio file "Greater chromatic semitone on C.mid" not found}}Template:Category handler).

Metre

A leimma is also the name of a musical / metrical symbol (Template:Math) 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.

Modern equivalents are:

• a breath mark
• a comma [,]
• a [[sixteenth note|sixteenth rest (Template:Math)]] or perhaps a [[Thirty-second note|thirty-second rest (Template:Math)]]