lapido

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ˈɫa.pɪ.doː]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈlaː.pi.do]^[1]

Forms

lapidō (present infinitive lapidāre, perfect active lapidāvī, supine lapidātum); first conjugation^[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin lapis (“stone”) + -ō.^[2][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Spanish War, a continuation of Caesar's commentaries, tells how soldiers began to stone and threaten a man who had killed envoys.^[2][3]

Semantic evolution

It meant to throw stones at, to stone, and Lewis & Short note it is not found before the Augustan age.^[3][2] Florus says an army stoned its commander, and Petronius uses it too.^[3][4] Impersonally, lapidat meant “it rains stones”, a portent Livy often records, as at Veii.^[2] Macrobius uses it figuratively of attacking someone, and Petronius of covering with stones.^[5] The Vulgate uses it of the stoning of Stephen.^[3]

Its descendants include French lapider and Spanish lapidar.^[1] English lapidate is recorded in the 1620s, and English dilapidated comes from the compound dīlapidō.^[6][1]

Timeline

• 59 BC–17 AD – Livy records showers of stones.^[2][7]
• before 66 AD – Petronius uses it.^[3][7]
• 390–406 AD – The Vulgate uses it of the stoning of Stephen.^[3][7]
• 1620s – English lapidate is recorded.^[6]

Meanings

Verb

1. To throw stones at, to stone.^[2][1]
2. (impersonal) It rains stones.^[2]
3. To cover with stones.^[5]
4. (figurative) To assail.^[1][5]

Word family

• dīlapidō
• ēlapidō
• lapidātiō
• lapidator
• lapidēscō

Related words

• lapidāris
• lapidārius
• lapideus
• lapidōsus
• lapis
• English lapidate
• English dilapidated

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d e f Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
4. ^ Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
5. ^ a b c Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
6. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
7. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de