lapidary

lapidary — adjective

  • lapidarypositive
  • more lapidarycomparative
  • most lapidarysuperlative

1. describing tools, skills, or work used to shape and polish gemstones such as rub

1.形容詞C2
釋義

describing tools, skills, or work used to shape and polish gemstones such as rubies, sapphires, or jade.

例句

Takeshi inherited a full set of lapidary tools from his grandfather in Kyoto.

attributive: lapidary tools / lapidary skills

The museum displayed lapidary work from ancient India, including carved emeralds and rubies.

collocation: lapidary work / lapidary art

同義詞
  • gem-cutting

    plainer everyday alternative; more readable in non-academic writing

  • stone-polishing

    narrower — covers polishing but not cutting or engraving

文法句型

lapidary + noun

用法筆記

Only used before a noun (attributive). Subject nouns are usually tools, skills, or work — never people; for people use the noun form 'lapidary' instead.

常見錯誤

❌The stones are lapidary.
✅The stones were shaped by lapidary tools.
💡the adjective only modifies tools, skills, or work, not the stones themselves.

2. describing writing or speech that is short, carefully shaped, and elegant — like

2.形容詞C2
釋義

describing writing or speech that is short, carefully shaped, and elegant — like words carved on a memorial stone.

例句

Christopher admired the lapidary prose of Tacitus, where every sentence carries weight.

collocation: lapidary prose / lapidary style

Élise wrote a lapidary tribute on her grandmother's gravestone, only twelve words long.

literary register; usually praise for tight, polished writing

同義詞
  • epigrammatic

    very close — both mean polished and concise; 'epigrammatic' adds a hint of wit

  • concise

    plainer, more common; lacks the suggestion of careful artistry

  • polished

    broader — can describe any refined work, not just brief writing

反義詞
  • rambling

    long and disorganized — the direct opposite

  • verbose

    uses too many words; the opposite of compressed lapidary style

文法句型

lapidary + abstract noun

用法筆記

Almost always positive — readers should hear admiration for compressed, polished expression. Distinguish from sense 1 (about gemstones): here the subject is always writing, speech, or wording, never tools or materials.

常見錯誤

❌The speech was long and lapidary.
✅The speech was short and lapidary.
💡'lapidary' implies brevity; using it of a long passage is contradictory.

lapidary — noun