lapis lazuli

[ lap-is laz-oo-lee, -lahy, laz-yoo-, lazh-oo- ]

noun
  1. a deep-blue mineral composed mainly of lazurite with smaller quantities of other minerals, used mainly as a gem or as a pigment.

  2. a sky-blue color; azure.

Origin of lapis lazuli

1
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Medieval Latin, equivalent to Latin lapis “stone” + Medieval Latin lazulī, genitive of lazulum “lapis lazuli”; see azure
  • Also called lapis, laz·u·li [laz-uh-lee, -lahy, lazh-uh-] /ˈlæz ə li, -ˌlaɪ, ˈlæʒ ə-/ .

Words Nearby lapis lazuli

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use lapis lazuli in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for lapis lazuli

lapis lazuli

lazuli

/ (ˈlæpɪs) /


noun
  1. a brilliant blue variety of the mineral lazurite, used as a gemstone

  2. the deep blue colour of lapis lazuli

Origin of lapis lazuli

1
C14: from Latin lapis stone + Medieval Latin lazulī, from lazulum, from Arabic lāzaward, from Persian lāzhuward, of obscure origin
  • Also: lapis

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012