lapidary
la·pid·a·ry/ˈlæpəˌdɛɹi/noun, adjective
lapidary is spelled L-A-P-I-D-A-R-Y: 8 letters and 4 syllables (la·pid·a·ry). It appears about once in every 9 million words in written English, the 90,432nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, lapidary means “A person who cuts and polishes, engraves, or deals in gems and precious stones” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of lapidary is lapidaries.
How many letters and syllables are in lapidary?
| Letters | 8: L-A-P-I-D-A-R-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4: la·pid·a·ry |
| In writing | about once in every 9 million words; the 90,432nd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is lapidary?
Lapidary appears about once in every 9 million words in written English, the 90,432nd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce lapidary?
- UK /ˈlæpɪdəɹi/
- UK /ˈlæpɪdɹi/
- US /ˈlæpəˌdɛɹi/
Lapidary has 4 syllables, split la·pid·a·ry in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-lapidary.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of lapidary
- lapidaries plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does lapidary mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A person who cuts and polishes, engraves, or deals in gems and precious stones.
- 2
The field in which such a person works, a subfield of gemology.
- 3
obsoleteAn expert in gems and precious stones; a connoisseur of lapidary work.
- 4
obsoleteGems and precious stones collectively; jewellery.
- 5
obsoleteA treatise on (precious) stones.
adjective
- 1
Of or pertaining to gems and precious stones, or the art of cutting or otherwise working them.
- 2
Of or pertaining to monumental stones, and particularly to the art of inscribing them.
- 3
engraved on stone.
- 4
Pertaining to a way of speaking which is circumlocutional, is excessively precise, and is multifaceted in the construction of propositions.
- 5
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.
- 6
archaicrareOf or pertaining to stones in general.
- 7
Succinct, laconic.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Lapidary in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | lapidaire |
| German | Edelsteinschleifer, Edelsteinschleiferin , lapidar |
| Portuguese | lapidário, lapidária |
| Spanish | lapidario |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does lapidary come from?
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).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).