What does the word lapidary mean?

Usage examples for lapidary

  1. The lapidary knoweth nought But diamond- dust alone, By which full glory may be wrought Upon that precious stone. – Papers from Overlook-House by Casper Almore
  2. The renowned " sketch in the lapidary style," prepared for the gravestone of Thomas and Richard Penn, with the introductory paragraphs, constitutes one of the finest assaults in political literature. – Benjamin Franklin by John Torrey Morse, Jr.
  3. I read it conscientiously from beginning to end, admiring, in my physical capacity, the throbbing passion that prompts such public outbursts of confidence and, from a literary point of view, their lapidary style, model of condensation, impossible to render in English and conditioned by the hard fact that every word costs two sous. – Old Calabria by Norman Douglas