lapidary

American  

[lap-i-der-ee] / ˈlæp ɪˌdɛr i /

noun

PLURAL

lapidaries

1. Also lapidist a worker who cuts, polishes, and engraves precious stones.

2. Also lapidarist an expert in precious stones and the art or techniques used in cutting and engraving them.

3. the art of cutting, polishing, and engraving precious stones.

4. an old book on the lore of gems.

---

adjective

1. of or relating to the cutting or engraving of precious stones.

2. characterized by an exactitude and extreme refinement that suggests gem cutting.

   a lapidary style; lapidary verse.

3. of, relating to, or suggestive of inscriptions on stone monuments.

lapidary British  

/ ˈlæpɪdərɪ /

noun

1. a person whose business is to cut, polish, set, or deal in gemstones

---

adjective

1. of or relating to gemstones or the work of a lapidary

2. Also: lapidarian.  engraved, cut, or inscribed in a stone or gemstone

3. of sufficiently high quality to be engraved on a stone

   a lapidary inscription

Other Word Forms

• lapidarian adjective

Etymology

Origin of lapidary

1325–75; Middle English lapidarie (noun) < Latin lapidārius of stone (adj.), stone-cutter (noun), equivalent to lapid- (stem of lapis ) stone + -ārius -ary

Example Sentences

They had developed kindred styles on their solo albums, absorbing lapidary Laurel Canyon folk-pop, punky electric-guitar drive, glimmers of electronics and psychedelia, and lyrics that mix confession and fantasy, the diaristic and the surreal.

From New York Times

Each chapter is devoted to an encounter with one of the fantastical inhabitants of Yong’an, an industrial city, flanked with a description of the beasts written in the lapidary language of the “Classic.”

From Washington Post

It is in the modern era that this book loses its lapidary elegance.

From New York Times

Archaeologists posit that a thriving craft-based economy populated by lapidaries, potters, garment makers and especially obsidian workers making razor-sharp blades made the city rich.

From Reuters

Neither would crack my personal Top 100 now, but they’ve stuck with me more than a lot of allegedly “stunning” and “lapidary” novels I read two years ago.

From Washington Post