What does "lapidary" mean?
A person who cuts and polishes, engraves, or deals in gems and precious stones.
Lapidary
/ˈlæpɪdəɹi/ adj, noun
adj, noun ·Moderate ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A person who cuts and polishes, engraves, or deals in gems and precious stones.
- Grammar: lapidary is listed as adj, noun.
- Nearest alternatives: aquatint, aquatinta, autolithographic, burinist.
- Useful contrasts: amateur, industrial process, mass production.
- Usage evidence: An excellent lapidary ſet theſe ſtones ſure, / Doe you mark their vvaters?
How to use "lapidary"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "lapidary" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "lapidary" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "lapidary" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "lapidary" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "lapidary" is acting as adj, noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "aquatint" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
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Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "lapidary", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A person who cuts and polishes, engraves, or deals in gems and precious stones. countable, uncountable
"An excellent lapidary ſet theſe ſtones ſure, / Doe you mark their vvaters?"
- 2 a skilled worker who cuts and engraves precious stones wordnet
- 3 The field in which such a person works, a subfield of gemology. countable, uncountable
- 4 an expert on precious stones and the art of cutting and engraving them wordnet
- 5 An expert in gems and precious stones; a connoisseur of lapidary work. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"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."
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 Gems and precious stones collectively; jewellery. countable, obsolete, uncountable
- 7 A treatise on (precious) stones. countable, obsolete, uncountable
Adjective
- 1 Of or pertaining to gems and precious stones, or the art of working them. not-comparable
- 2 Senses relating to inscriptions.; Of an inscription: engraved on stone. not-comparable
"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."
- 3 Senses relating to inscriptions.; 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. not-comparable
"His grand principle is, that lapidary inscriptions, of what sort soever, should be Historical rather than Lyrical."
- 4 Of or pertaining to stones in general. archaic, not-comparable, rare
"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 provocation, rather than on the boys for that lapidary style of retort in which their wrath has been trained to express itself."
- 5 Succinct, laconic. not-comparable, uncommon
Adjective
- 1 of or relating to precious stones or the art of working with them wordnet
Example
"An excellent lapidary ſet theſe ſtones ſure, / Doe you mark their vvaters?"
Common questions
What is a synonym for "lapidary"?
Common synonyms include: aquatint, aquatinta, autolithographic, burinist, carver, cerographer.
How do you use "lapidary" in a sentence?
An excellent lapidary ſet theſe ſtones ſure, / Doe you mark their vvaters?
How do you pronounce "lapidary"?
Pronounced /ˈlæpɪdəɹi/.
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 sense 3.2 (“jewellery”) and noun sense 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. The "succinct" sense (adjective sense 4) is by metaphor: the speaker or writer has cut and polished their locution, as it were.