lapis lazuli
1
8.9
- noun
- /ˈlæpɪs ˈlæzuːlaɪ/
:
lapislázuli
- Many ancient artifacts feature intricate designs made with lapis lazuli, showcasing its rich blue hue.
- lapis lazuli and turquoise
- lapis lazuli and gold
- blue lapis lazuli
Examples
-
Though situated in inhospitable terrain, the city was close to tin, copper, and turquoise mines, and lay on the route bringing lapis lazuli from Afghanistan to the west.
Academic text (2011) -
The trunk sat directly opposite the mirror, atop a curious English desk with handles made from lapis lazuli.
Fiction book (1999) -
Inside the break, the water was the color of aquamarine; beyond it, a dark lapis lazuli.
Fiction book (2002) -
He wrote his story on a lapis lazuli tablet and buried it under the city walls for future generations to find and learn from.
-
The nearly full Earth still hung in the sky, a swirl of frothy white and lapis lazuli blue.
Fiction book (1998) -
Both are inlaid with a dark green jade and with blue lapis lazuli and red rubies outlined with gold.
-
On our right is the Adriatic, blue as lapis lazuli and gay with flocking sails.
Blog text (22) -
She had jet-black hair that hung just below her chin and a shiny blue eye, the color of lapis lazuli.
Blog text (21) -
There lay this very house, embossed with lapis lazuli and trimmed with amber and gold, as it must have been when Lincoln went unheard at Gettysburg.
Fiction book (1994) -
So the story described a garden that Cain had fashioned for himself, with streams of liquid mercury and blossoming vines carved from lapis lazuli, copper, and malachite.
Fiction book (1998)
Synonyms
How Precious
Surface Forms
Morphology
Both constituents refer to the same semiprecious blue stone, so a learner who knows 'lapis' and 'lazuli' would readily infer the compound denotes that deep-blue gemstone. The phrase is essentially compositional (a name built from its parts) and follows cross-linguistic naming patterns for minerals, making it transparent to learners who know the words.
Etymology
Lapis lazuli may come from Latin lapis meaning 'stone' and a Persian word that became lazuli meaning 'blue' or 'sky', so the name pictures a 'blue stone'. That's why the name refers to the deep, bright blue gem used in jewelry and ground by painters to make blue paint.