lapidary
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lapidary
- /ˈlæpɪdəɹi/ UK
- /ˈlæpɪdɹi/ UK
- /ˈlæpəˌdɛɹi/ US
Where it comes from
The noun is derived from Middle English lapidari, lapidarie (“person who cuts, polishes, or engraves precious stones; expert in precious stones; treatise on precious stones”) [and other forms], from Old French lapidaire (“gemsmith, lapidary”) (modern French lapidaire), or from its etymon Latin lapidārius (“(adjective) of stones, stony; (noun) stonecutter”), from lapidis (the genitive singular of lapis (“stone; (poetic) jewel, precious stone”), possibly from Pre-Greek or Proto-Indo-European *lep- (“to peel”)) + -ārius (suffix forming adjectives).
Noun senses 3.2 (“jewellery”) and 3.3 (“treatise on precious stones”) are derived from Latin lapidāria or lapidārium, a noun use of the neuter plural or genitive plural respectively of lapidāris (“of stone”, adjective), from lapidis (the genitive singular of lapis; see above) + -āris (suffix forming adjectives).
The stone-referent adjective is either:
* a learned borrowing from Latin lapidārius (adjective); or
* derived from the noun.
Adjective sense 6 (“succint”) is by metaphor: the speaker or writer has cut and polished their locution, as it were.
noun lapidaries
-
A person who cuts and polishes, engraves, or deals in gems and precious stones.
An excellent lapidary ſet theſe ſtones ſure, / Doe you mark their vvaters?
Similar: gemsmith, lapidarist, lapidist
- The field in which such a person works, a subfield of gemology.
-
An expert in gems and precious stones; a connoisseur of lapidary work.
Yet as naked as at the firſt bluſh it [the work] ſeemeth, if it ſhall ſtande wyth your Honour his pleaſure (whome I take to be an experte Lapidarie) at vacant houres to inſearche it, you ſhall finde therein ſtones of ſuch eſtimatiõ, as are woorthy to be coucht in riche and precious collets.
Similar: gemmologist, gemologist, lapidist
- Gems and precious stones collectively; jewellery.
- A treatise on (precious) stones.
adjective
- Of or pertaining to gems and precious stones, or the art of cutting or otherwise working them.
- Of or pertaining to monumental stones, and particularly to the art of inscribing them.
- engraved on stone. The vvriter of an epitaph ſhould not be conſidered as ſaying nothing but vvhat is ſtrictly true. Allovvance muſt be made for ſome degree of exaggerated praiſe. In lapidary inſcriptions a man is not upon oath.
- Pertaining to a way of speaking which is circumlocutional, is excessively precise, and is multifaceted in the construction of propositions. My chances, slender at best, rested with (the barrister Emmet Bourke), and I was sorry to find myself developing a thin, sharp dislike for the man. He had too great a fondness for lapidary formulation.
-
Of a piece of writing or a writing style: characteristic of or suitable for an inscription; embodying the precision and refinement of inscriptions on monuments; concise and stately.
His grand principle is, that lapidary inscriptions, of what sort soever, should be Historical rather than Lyrical.
Similar: brief, concise, crisp, laconic, lapidary, short-winded, succinct, tight, to the point, taut, terse · Opposite: circumlocutory, diffuse, periphrastic, palaverous, pleonastic, prolix, rigmarole, sesquipedalian, verbose, wordy
- Of or pertaining to stones in general. Yet such is the temper of this world, that, if a grave philosopher, by shaking his fist, and other acts of bravado, should happen to provoke a company of mischievous boys to reply with a shower of stones, people in general suffer their resentment to settle upon the philosopher for his wanton provoca
- Succinct, laconic.
Translations
Every language
noun person who cuts and polishes, engraves, or deals in gems and precious stones
| Português | lapidário, lapidária |
|---|---|
| Français | lapidaire |
| Deutsch | Edelsteinschleifer, Edelsteinschleiferin |
| Italiano | intagliatore, intagliatrice |
| Română | lapidariu |
noun treatise on (precious) stones
| Español | lapidario |
|---|---|
| Français | lapidaire |
| Italiano | lapidari |
| Русский | лапидарий lapidarij |
adj of or pertaining to gems and precious stones, or the art of working them
| Español | lapidario |
|---|
adj of an inscription: engraved on stone
| Français | lapidaire |
|---|
adj of a piece of writing or a writing style: characteristic of or suitable for an inscription; embodying the precision and refinement of inscriptions on monuments
| Español | lapidario |
|---|---|
| Français | lapidaire |
| Deutsch | lapidar |
adj of or pertaining to stones in general
| Français | lapidaire |
|---|
Talk about this word "lapidary." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/lapidary. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. lapidary. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/lapidary "lapidary." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/lapidary.Cite this
@misc{lapidary_2026,
title = {lapidary},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/lapidary},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
