listeme

From list + -eme.

• enPR: lĭst'ēm, IPA^(key): /ˈlɪstiːm/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

listeme (plural listemes)

1. (linguistics) An item that is memorized as part of a list, as opposed to being generated by a rule.

   Idioms such as "red herring" are listemes, as are irregular forms such as "geese".

   • 2000, Steven Pinker, Words and Rules, →ISBN, page 24:

     A memorized chunk is sometimes called a listeme, that is, an item that has to be memorized as part of a list; one can argue that this book ought to have been called Listemes and Rules.

• Steimel, Steimle