### Lemma Markup Format


---

LexM is a concise, human-readable format for representing dictionary-ready, lexical entries with their various forms, relationships, and redirections.

Installation

Add this line to your application's Gemfile:

gem 'lexm'

And then execute:

$ bundle install

Or install it yourself as:

$ gem install lexm

Basic Format

A LexM entry consists of a lemma (headword) and optional elements:

lemma[annotations]|sublemma1,sublemma2,>(relation)target

Examples

require 'lexm'
include LexM

# Create a lemma with annotations
lemma = Lemma.new("rise[sp:rose,pp:risen]")
puts lemma
# => rise[sp:rose,pp:risen]

# Create a lemma with sublemmas
lemma = Lemma.new("abandon|abandoned,abandonment")
puts lemma
# => abandon|abandoned,abandonment

# Create a redirection entry
lemma = Lemma.new("better>>(cmp)good")
puts lemma
# => better>>(cmp)good

# Create a lemma with a redirection sublemma
lemma = Lemma.new("rose|>(sp)rise")
puts lemma
# => rose|>(sp)rise

# Build a lemma programmatically
lemma = Lemma.new
lemma.text = "run"
lemma.setAnnotations({"sp" => "ran", "pp" => "run"})
lemma.addSublemmas(["run away", "run up"])
puts lemma
# => run[sp:ran,pp:run]|run away,run up

# Work with a collection of lemmas
list = LemmaList.new
list.addLemma(Lemma.new("go[sp:went,pp:gone]|go about,go ahead"))
list.addLemma(Lemma.new("better>>(cmp)good"))

# Find lemmas that redirect to "good"
good_redirects = list.findRedirectionsTo("good")

# Iterate through all words
list.eachWord do |word|
    puts "Word: #{word}"
end

Entry Types

Standard Lemma

A standard dictionary entry with a headword and optional annotations:

run[sp:ran,pp:run]

Lemma with Sublemmas

A headword with related forms or expressions:

abandon|abandoned,abandonment

Redirection Entry

A pure redirection that points to another lemma:

better>>(cmp)good

Mixed Format

A lemma that has sublemmas including a redirection:

left|left-handed,>(sp,pp)leave

Attribution

LexM was created and developed by Yanis Zafirópulos (a.k.a. Dr.Kameleon). If you use this software, please maintain this attribution.

How to Cite

If you use LexM in your research or applications, please cite it as:

Yanis Zafirópulos (2025). "LexM: Lemma Markup Format." GitHub repository: https://github.com/drkameleon/lexm

License

This library is available as open source under the terms of the MIT License.