plural laminae, "a thin plate or scale," especially one forming a layer or coat over another, a Latin word used in English in specific senses in botany, geology, anatomy, armory, etc., 1650s, from Latin lamina "thin piece of metal or wood, thin slice, plate, leaf, layer," a word of unknown origin. De Vaan writes that "The only serious etymology offered is a connection with latus 'wide' ..." (for which see latitude).
