lapis lazuli
/ˌlap.ɪs ˈlaz.jʊ.laɪ/
"lapis-lazuli" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“lapis lazuli” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 12
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A deep blue stone, used in making jewelry, and traditionally used to make the pigment ultramarine.
Corpus desk
Index EN-lapis-lazuli · lapis lazuli · English
lapis lazuli · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-MEGA 12 letters
- VOW-5 5 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "L" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
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.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | lapis lazuli |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˌlap.ɪs ˈlaz.jʊ.laɪ/ |
| Letters | 12 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “lapis lazuli” in English
Rare enough to double-check
lapis lazuli is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˌlap.ɪs ˈlaz.jʊ.laɪ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for lapis lazuli, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English lapis lazuli, from Medieval Latin lapis (“stone”) + lazulī, genitive singular of lazulum (“lapis lazuli, azure, the sky”), from Arabic لَازُوَرْد (lāzuward, “lapis lazuli, azure”), from Persian لاجورد (lâjvard). Compare azure, of the sam… The correct English form is lapis lazuli, spelled L-A-P-I-S- -L-A-Z-U-L-I.
Definition
- 1A deep blue stone, used in making jewelry, and traditionally used to make the pigment ultramarine.
- 2A deep, bright blue, like that of the stone.
Recorded use
Wiktionary exampleThese source excerpts show how lapis lazuli appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
He saw the amber silk curtains wave to and fro: the middle window was open; in it stood a pillar of lapis lazuli, which supported an alabaster figure, Canova's Dansatrice.
Etymology
From Middle English lapis lazuli, from Medieval Latin lapis (“stone”) + lazulī, genitive singular of lazulum (“lapis lazuli, azure, the sky”), from Arabic لَازُوَرْد (lāzuward, “lapis lazuli, azure”), from Persian لاجورد (lâjvard). Compare azure, of the same origin.
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.