ˈsu̇mə, ˈsümə; ˈsəmə noun
( plural sum·mae -ˌmī; -ˌmē ; see sense 1 )
Etymology: Middle English, from Latin — more at sum
1. pl also summas obsolete : sum , sum total
2.
[Medieval Latin, from Latin]
a. : a treatise or series of treatises covering a whole field or department of learning ; especially : one of the comprehensive scholastic works (as the Summa Theologica of St. Thomas Aquinas)
b. : a work or series of works that is a synthesis of human knowledge
c. : a synthesis or summary of any subject
a summa of the principal dogmas of the Church — America
a summa of a writer's work