lapis

L1A1P3I1S1
/ˈlæpɪs/

A form of lapis lazuli — A deep blue stone, used in making jewelry, and traditionally used to make the pigment ultramarine.

Less commonScrabble 7

Meanings

nounlapis (uncountable)
  1. abbreviationellipsisuncountableEllipsis of lapis lazuli.

    French Bead Necklace of lapis or carnelian color, with crystal rondelles between each bead, graduated, 32 inches long.

    1923 (reprinted 1993), Franklin Simon Fashion Catalog for 1923 (Franklin Simon & Co, New York), item number 53
    3 more examples

    Lapis, opal, &c. are poliſh'd on a wooden wheel. To faſhion and Engrave vaſes of agate, cryſtal, lapis, or the like, they make uſe of a kind of lathe like that us'd by pewterers, excepting that as the pewterers lathe holds the veſſels, which are to be wrought with proper tools; that of the Engraver generally holds the tools which are turn'd by a wheel, and the veſſels held to them to be cut and engraven either in relievo or otherwiſe; [...]

    1735, [John Barrow], “ENGRAVING”, in Dictionarium Polygraphicum: Or, The Whole Body of Arts Regularly Digested. […], volume I (A–H), London: […] C[harles] Hitch and C[harles] Davis […], and S[amuel] Austen […], →OCLC

    That lapis lazuli in particular among the precious and semi-precious stones known from Mesopotamia was accorded considerable value in antiquity may be inferred from the archaeological record through association with high-status locii and goods. [...] deities receive votive gifts and booty of lapis, consisting of items of personal adornment and cult objects, while their temples are described as decorated with lapis or shining like lapis. [...] For example, the contents of the graves in the Royal Cemetery of Ur: [...] various objects employing inlay that include lapis among the insets, [...] Mari sent an emissary to acquire lapis from Lars.

    2010, Irene Winter, editor, On Art in the Ancient Near East: From the Third Millennium B.C.E., page 291

    The buddha lands described in the Lotus share certain generic features: the ground is made of lapis or crystal; they are perfectly level, without mountains or valleys; they are free from all manner of filth, including the stench of latrines [...] The ground was made of lapis lazuli, [...]

    2011, Daniel Boscaljon, Hope and the Longing for Utopia: Futures and Illusions in Theology and Narrative, page 99

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Cite this entry
APA

lapis. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lapis

MLA

“lapis.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lapis. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “lapis,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lapis.

Source: lapis on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.