Standard Lemma guide

lapidary

adj · noun · 15 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈlæpɪdəɹi/
  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈlæpɪdɹi/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: /ˈlæpəˌdɛɹi/
  • CMU ARPABET: L AE1 P AH0 D EH2 R IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Of or pertaining to gems and precious stones, or the art of cutting or otherwise working them.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Of or pertaining to monumental stones, and particularly to the art of inscribing them.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adj

Meaning 3

engraved on stone.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adj

Meaning 4

Senses relating to speech or writing.

Pertaining to a way of speaking which is circumlocutional, is excessively precise, and is multifaceted in the construction of propositions.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

adj

Meaning 5

Senses relating to speech or writing.

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.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: brief, concise, crisp, laconic, lapidary, short-winded, succinct, tight, to the point, taut, terse

Antonyms: circumlocutory, diffuse, periphrastic, palaverous, pleonastic, prolix, rigmarole, sesquipedalian, verbose, wordy

6

adj

Meaning 6

Of or pertaining to stones in general.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: archaic, not-comparable, rare

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

adj

Meaning 7

Succinct, laconic.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable, uncommon

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

noun

Meaning 8

A person who cuts and polishes, engraves, or deals in gems and precious stones.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: gemsmith, lapidarist, lapidist

Antonyms: none provided

9

noun

Meaning 9

The field in which such a person works, a subfield of gemology.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

10

noun

Meaning 10

An expert in gems and precious stones; a connoisseur of lapidary work.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, obsolete, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: gemmologist, gemologist, lapidist

Antonyms: none provided

11

noun

Meaning 11

Gems and precious stones collectively; jewellery.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, obsolete, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

12

noun

Meaning 12

A treatise on (precious) stones.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, obsolete, uncountable

Qualifier: except historical

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

13

adjective

Meaning 13

of or relating to precious stones or the art of working with them- Lord Byron

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the ring is of no lapidary value
  • lapidary art

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

14

noun

Meaning 14

a skilled worker who cuts and engraves precious stones

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: lapidist

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: engraver

15

noun

Meaning 15

an expert on precious stones and the art of cutting and engraving them

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: lapidarist

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: expert

History

Etymology

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.

Across languages

Translations

55 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Finnish: lapidaarinen — of or pertaining to gems and precious stones, or the art of working them
  • Georgian: ლაპიდარული (laṗidaruli) — of or pertaining to gems and precious stones, or the art of working them
  • Irish: greanta — of or pertaining to gems and precious stones, or the art of working them
  • Spanish: lapidario — of or pertaining to gems and precious stones, or the art of working them
  • Finnish: kiveen hakattu — of an inscription: engraved on stone
  • French: lapidaire — of an inscription: engraved on stone
  • Czech: lapidární — 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
  • Finnish: ytimekäs ja hienostunut — 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
  • French: lapidaire — 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
  • German: lapidar — 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
  • Polish: lapidarny — 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
  • Polish: zwięzły — 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
  • Serbo-Croatian: ла̏пида̄ран — 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
  • Serbo-Croatian: језгро̀вит — 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
  • Serbo-Croatian: кра̀так — 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
  • Serbo-Croatian: са̏же̄т — 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
  • Serbo-Croatian: lȁpidāran — 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
  • Serbo-Croatian: jezgròvit — 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
  • Serbo-Croatian: kràtak — 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
  • Serbo-Croatian: sȁžēt — 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
  • Spanish: lapidario — 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
  • Finnish: kivi- — of or pertaining to stones in general
  • French: lapidaire — of or pertaining to stones in general
  • Bengali: জহুরি (johuri) — person who cuts and polishes, engraves, or deals in gems and precious stones
  • Finnish: jalokivihioja — person who cuts and polishes, engraves, or deals in gems and precious stones
  • Finnish: jalokiviseppä — person who cuts and polishes, engraves, or deals in gems and precious stones
  • French: lapidaire — person who cuts and polishes, engraves, or deals in gems and precious stones
  • German: Edelsteinschleifer — person who cuts and polishes, engraves, or deals in gems and precious stones
  • German: Edelsteinschleiferin — person who cuts and polishes, engraves, or deals in gems and precious stones
  • Italian: intagliatore — person who cuts and polishes, engraves, or deals in gems and precious stones
  • Italian: intagliatrice — person who cuts and polishes, engraves, or deals in gems and precious stones
  • Macedonian: јувелир (juvelir) — person who cuts and polishes, engraves, or deals in gems and precious stones
  • Portuguese: lapidário — person who cuts and polishes, engraves, or deals in gems and precious stones
  • Portuguese: lapidária — person who cuts and polishes, engraves, or deals in gems and precious stones
  • Romanian: lapidariu — person who cuts and polishes, engraves, or deals in gems and precious stones
  • Telugu: మణికారుడు (maṇikāruḍu) — person who cuts and polishes, engraves, or deals in gems and precious stones
  • Turkish: cevahirci — person who cuts and polishes, engraves, or deals in gems and precious stones
  • Ottoman Turkish: جواهرجی (cevâhirci) — person who cuts and polishes, engraves, or deals in gems and precious stones
  • Burmese: ပန်းရွဲ (pan:rwai:) — field in which such a person works
  • Catalan: lapidari — field in which such a person works
  • Finnish: jalokivien hionta — field in which such a person works
  • French: lapidaire — field in which such a person works
  • Japanese: 宝石彫刻師 (hōsekichōkokushi) — field in which such a person works
  • Spanish: lapidario — field in which such a person works
  • Catalan: lapidari — treatise on (precious) stones
  • Esperanto: lapidario — treatise on (precious) stones
  • Finnish: tutkielma jalokivistä — treatise on (precious) stones
  • French: lapidaire — treatise on (precious) stones
  • Italian: lapidari — treatise on (precious) stones
  • Latin: lapidārium — treatise on (precious) stones
  • Polish: lapidarium — treatise on (precious) stones
  • Russian: лапидарий (lapidarij) — treatise on (precious) stones
  • Spanish: lapidario — treatise on (precious) stones
  • Ukrainian: лапіда́рний (lapidárnyj) — treatise on (precious) stones
  • Ukrainian: лапіда́рність (lapidárnistʹ) — treatise on (precious) stones