The plural form of exemplum, used in academic and historical contexts to refer to multiple examples or models.
Latin plural of exemplum, formed through the classical Latin -a ending for neuter plurals. This form appears primarily in scholarly discussions of medieval and classical rhetoric.
Latin plurals are surviving fossils in English—we still use exempla in academic papers even though nobody else speaks Latin anymore. It's a tiny marker of how education preserved classical knowledge through the Middle Ages.
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