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lap·i·dar·y

(lăpĭ-dĕr′ē)

n. pl. lap·i·dar·ies

1. One who cuts, polishes, or engraves gems.

2. A dealer in precious or semiprecious stones.

adj.

1. Of or relating to precious stones or the art of working with them.

a. Engraved in stone.

b. Marked by conciseness, precision, or refinement of expression: lapidary prose.

c. Sharply or finely delineated: a face with lapidary features.

[Middle English lapidarie, from Old French lapidaire, from Latin lapidārius, from lapis, lapid-, stone.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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