Lapidem

Lapidem is the accusative singular form of the Latin noun lapis, meaning stone or rock. In classical Latin it functions as the direct object of verbs that take a stone as their object, for example, lapidem mittit means “he throws a stone.”

Grammar and forms: Lapis is masculine and belongs to the third declension. Singular: nominative lapis, accusative lapidem, genitive lapidis, dative lapidi, ablative lapide. Plural: nominative lapides, accusative lapides, genitive lapidum, dative lapidibus, ablative lapidibus. These forms show how lapidem is used within sentence structure to indicate a concrete stone as an object.

Etymology and cognates: Lapidem is the Latin word for stone and is related to other Indo-European terms for stone, notably Greek lithos. The form lapidem appears in Latin across classical and medieval texts. Derivatives and related terms include lapideus (stone-like or made of stone) and lapidarius (stone-cutter or gem-cutter), which have influenced scientific and artisanal vocabulary in Latin and its descendants.

Usage and significance: Lapidem appears as ordinary vocabulary in classical Latin everyday writing and inscriptions. It is also encountered in the expression lapis philosophorum, the Philosophers’ Stone, a standard term in alchemical and medieval Latin literature. The word continues to appear in discussions of Latin grammar, philology, and historical texts where stones or rock imagery are involved.

See also: lapis, lithos, lapideus, lapidarius, lapidary.