LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · masculinesecond declension

lapillus

lapillus m (genitive lapillī)
Classical[ɫaˈpɪl.lʊs]Ecclesiastical[laˈpil.lus]

Meaning

  1. masculineA small stone, pebble.
  2. masculineStone in the bladder, gravel, calculus.
  3. masculineA precious stone, gem, jewel; marble.
  4. masculineA tombstone.

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativelapilluslapillī
genitivelapillīlapillōrum
dativelapillōlapillīs
accusativelapillumlapillōs
ablativelapillōlapillīs
vocativelapillelapillī

lăpillus, i, m. dim. lapis,
I. a little stone, a pebble (perh. not ante-Aug.).
I. In gen.: invitat somnos crepitantibus unda lapillis, Ov. M. 11, 604; Plin. 10, 23, 30, § 59 sq. —Lucky days were marked with white, and unlucky ones with black stones (cf. calculus, 2. e.); hence: felix utraque lux diesque nobis Signandi melioribus lapillis, i. e. with white stones, Mart. 9, 53, 5; cf.: hunc Macrine, diem numera meliore lapillo, Pers. 2, 1; cf. also Plin. 7, 40, 41, § 131. —In trials at law, a white stone was cast as a vote for acquittal, a black stone for condemnation: mos erat antiquus niveis atrisque lapillis, His damnare reos, illis absolvere culpa, Ov. M. 15, 41.—
II. In partic.
A. Stone in the bladder, gravel: ejectus calculoso, Plin. 28, 4, 9, § 42.—
B. A precious stone, gem, jewel; marble, etc.: inter niveos viridesque lapillos, i. e. pearls and emeralds, Hor. S. 1, 2, 80: caris aures onerare lapillis, Ov. A. A. 3, 129: indici, Mart. 1, 110, 4: Libyci, bits of Numidian marble, Hor. Ep. 1, 10, 19.—
C. A tombstone, Inscr. ap. Murat. 1536, 6; cf. Burm. Anth. Lat. 2, p. 269.

Origins

Diminutive from lapis (“stone”) + -illus, likely originally formed on the oblique stem as lapid- + -lus.

Descendants
  • Italianlapillo

Quick answers

What does lapillus mean in Latin?
lapillus, a noun, means “A small stone, pebble.; Stone in the bladder, gravel, calculus.; A precious stone, gem, jewel”.
What is the genitive of lapillus?
The genitive singular is lapillī. lapillus is masculine, second declension.
How do you pronounce lapillus?
In classical Latin, [ɫaˈpɪl.lʊs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [laˈpil.lus].