lapidary

/ˈlæpɪdəɹi/

//ˈlæpɪdəɹi// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"lapidary" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“lapidary” is uncommon English (frequency #90,646 among 2,297 “L” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#90,646
frequency rank, English
2,297
“L” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A person who cuts and polishes, engraves, or deals in gems and precious stones.

Corpus desk

Index EN-lapidary · lapidary · English

lapidary · rank #90,646 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #90,646
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH laparotomy

Nearest frequency peer: laparotomy (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Long-tail ranks near “lapidary”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “lapidary” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for lapidary
PropertyValue
Headwordlapidary
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈlæpɪdəɹi/
Letters8
Frequency rank#90,646
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “lapidary” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).lapidaryfalls in this rarity band:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “laparotomy” (#90,645), “Laois” (#90,644), “lathered” (#90,648). Among 2,297 “L” headwords, “lapidary” is #90,646. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

lapidary is uncommon English at frequency #90,646 among 2,297 “L” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈlæpɪdəɹi/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 5 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for lapidary in our index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: 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… The correct English form is lapidary, spelled L-A-P-I-D-A-R-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    A person who cuts and polishes, engraves, or deals in gems and precious stones.
  2. 2
    The field in which such a person works, a subfield of gemology.
  3. 3
    An expert in gems and precious stones; a connoisseur of lapidary work.
  4. 4
    Gems and precious stones collectively; jewellery.
  5. 5
    A treatise on (precious) stones.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how lapidary appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. An excellent lapidary ſet theſe ſtones ſure, / Doe you mark their vvaters?
  2. [T]he method of eſtimating diamonds is altogether arbitrary; and Ratchkali, vvho vvas an exquiſite lapidary, had ſet it in ſuch a manner as vvould have impoſed upon any ordinary jevveller.

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.

This word in other languages

lapidario(Español)lapidaire(Français)Edelsteinschleifer(Deutsch)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "lapidary"?
"lapidary" is spelled L-A-P-I-D-A-R-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈlæpɪdəɹi/.
What does "lapidary" mean?
As a noun, "lapidary" means: A person who cuts and polishes, engraves, or deals in gems and precious stones.
How do you pronounce "lapidary"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "lapidary" is /ˈlæpɪdəɹi/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "lapidary"?
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”) (mod... See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "lapidary", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

lathered#90,648Lemaitre#90,659Keneally#90,620Miquelon#90,736

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list