Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Of or relating to stone or inscriptions on stone: Describing something that is carved, inscribed, or engraved on stone.
   • Suitable for or resembling an inscription on a stone monument: Characterized by conciseness, dignity, or formality, as if intended for monumental inscription.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • The museum displayed a collection of lapidarian artifacts from ancient Rome.
  • The poet's style was praised for its lapidarian quality, with each line feeling permanent and weighty.
  • Archaeologists studied the lapidarian script to decipher the old laws.

Advanced Usage

• "Lapidarian style": A literary or epigraphic style that is concise, elegant, and monumental, as if carved in stone.
  • The declaration's lapidarian style gave its words a timeless authority.
• "Lapidarian record": A historical record preserved in stone inscriptions.
  • These lapidarian records provide crucial evidence about the dynasty's reign.

Variants and Related Words

• Lapidary (noun): A cutter, polisher, or engraver of precious stones.
  • The lapidary carefully shaped the gem.
• Lapidary (adjective): Pertaining to the art of cutting stones or characterized by refined precision.
  • He admired the lapidary craftsmanship of the jewel.

Synonyms

• Inscribed: Written or carved on a surface.
• Engraved: Cut or carved into a hard material.
• Epigraphic: Relating to inscriptions.

Related Phrases

• Lapidary inscription: An inscription carved in stone.
  • The tomb's lapidary inscription was still legible after centuries.

Related Idioms

• (To have) a lapidary quality: To possess a concise and definitive elegance.
  • Her final pronouncement on the matter had a lapidary quality that silenced all debate.

Adjective

1. inscribed on stone
   • a lapidarian record