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Permanent link for this word: lapidary

Mar 24, 2011

This week's theme
Miscellaneous words

This week's words
usufruct
bailiwick
effulgent
lapidary
taradiddle

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A.Word.A.Day

with Anu Garg

lapidary

PRONUNCIATION:

(LAP-i-der-ee)

MEANING:

adj.:
1. Relating to precious stones or cutting and polishing them.
2. Having elegance, precision, or refinement suggestive of gem cutting.

noun:
1. One who cuts, polishes, or deals in precious stones.
2. The art of cutting and polishing gems.

ETYMOLOGY:

From Latin lapis (stone). Earliest documented use: 1382.

USAGE:

"The event will feature live and silent auctions of minerals and fossils ... and demonstrations of lapidary and jewelry making."
Earth Science Show Planned; Naperville Sun (Illinois); Feb 8, 2011.

"The beauty of this film is in its lapidary details, which sparkle with feeling and surprise."
Carina Chocano; Movie Review: Babel; Los Angeles Times; Oct 27, 2006.

See more usage examples of lapidary in Vocabulary.com's dictionary.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:

If you shut your door to all errors truth will be shut out. -Rabindranath Tagore, poet, philosopher, author, songwriter, painter, educator, composer, Nobel laureate (1861-1941)

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