lapidary

The noun is derived from Middle English lapidari, lapidarie (“person who cuts, polishes, or engraves precious stones; expert in precious stones; treatise on precious stones”) [and other forms], from Old French lapidaire (“gemsmith, lapidary”) (modern French lapidaire), or from its etymon Latin lapidārius (“(adjective) of stones, stony; (noun) stonecutter”), from lapidis (the genitive singular of lapis (“stone; (poetic) jewel, precious stone”), possibly from Pre-Greek or Proto-Indo-European *lep- (“to peel”)) + -ārius (suffix forming adjectives). Noun senses 3.2 (“jewellery”) and 3.3 (“treatise on precious stones”) are derived from Latin lapidāria or lapidārium, a noun use of the neuter plural or genitive plural respectively of lapidāris (“of stone”, adjective), from lapidis (the genitive singular of lapis; see above) + -āris (suffix forming adjectives). The stone-referent adjective is either: * a learned borrowing from Latin lapidārius (adjective); or * derived from the noun. Adjective sense 4 (“succint”) is by metaphor: the speaker or writer has cut and polished their locution, as it were.

1. 01
   learned borrowing from lapidārius
2. 02
   derived from lapidāria
3. 03
   derived from *lep-✻ — “to peel”
4. 04
   derived from lapidārius — “(adjective) of stones, stony; (noun) stonecutter”
5. 05
   derived from lapidaire — “gemsmith, lapidary”
6. 06
   inherited from lapidari