(6.) Give a synonym of "transitory."—Give its opposite. Ans. Permanent, abiding.
21. LA'PIS, lap'idis, a stone.
Radical: lapid-.
1. lap'idary: lapid + ary = one who works in stone: hence, one who cuts, polishes, and engraves precious stones.
2. dilap'idated: di + lapid + ate + ed = put into the condition of a building in which the stones are falling apart: hence, fallen into ruin, decayed.
3. dilapida'tion: di + lapid + ate + ion = the state (of a building) in which the stones are falling apart: hence, demolition, decay.
EXERCISE.
Use the word "lapidary" in a sentence. MODEL: "When Queen Victoria wanted the Koh-i-noor to be recut, she sent it to a famous lapidary in Holland."
(2.) Write a sentence containing the word "dilapidated." MODEL: "At Newport, Rhode Island, there stands a dilapidated mill, which some writers have foolishly believed to be a tower built by Norsemen in the twelfth century."—If we should speak of a "dilapidated fortune," would the word be used in its literal meaning or in a figurative sense?