# Lapidus

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**Lapidus** (including its variant spellings) is:

- a surname which is derived from the Latin word *lapideus*, meaning 'made of stone'; 'stony',[1] also from the Latin *lapis* meaning 'stone'.[2] It could also be derived from the Latin adjective *lepidus* meaning pleasant or charming. A branch of the Roman *[gens](/source/Gens)* [Aemilia](/source/Aemilia_(gens)) was cognominated Lepidus. [Marcus Aemilius Lepidus](/source/Marcus_Aemilius_Lepidus_(triumvir)) was a member of the [Second Triumvirate](/source/Second_Triumvirate), with Octavius (later Caesar Augustus) and Marcus Antonius.

- a surname which perhaps has an origin from the Hebrews' Scriptures, specifically the [Book of Judges](/source/Book_of_Judges), which reads at 4:4: "Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, was judging Israel at that time", and hence probably derived from *lapidot*, the Hebrew word for *torches*,[3] yet is not exclusive to one religion or nationality.[4][5]

## People

- [Adam I. Lapidus](/source/Adam_I._Lapidus) (born 1963), American television writer
- [Azary Lapidus](/source/Azary_Abramovich_Lapidus) (born 1958), Russian civil engineer
- [Ira M. Lapidus](/source/Ira_M._Lapidus) (born 1937), American historian, author and educator
- [Jens Lapidus](/source/Jens_Lapidus) (born 1974), Swedish lawyer and author
- [Jay Lapidus](/source/Jay_Lapidus) (born 1959), American tennis player
- [Jodi Lapidus](/source/Jodi_Lapidus), American biostatistician
- [Leon Lapidus](/source/Leon_Lapidus) (1924–1977), American chemist
- [Mark Lapidus](/source/Mark_Lapidus) (born 1995), Estonian chess player
- [Morris Lapidus](/source/Morris_Lapidus) (1902–2001), American architect
- [Ted Lapidus](/source/Ted_Lapidus) (1929–2008), French fashion designer

## In popular culture

There is a character named [Frank Lapidus](/source/Frank_Lapidus), a pilot played by [Jeff Fahey](/source/Jeff_Fahey), on the ABC television show [*Lost*](/source/Lost_(2004_TV_series)).

There is also a character named [Merc Lapidus](/source/Merc_Lapidus), a producer played by [John Pankow](/source/John_Pankow), on the television show [*Episodes*](/source/Episodes_(TV_series)).

There is a third character named [Leslie Lapidus](/source/Leslie_Lapidus), a [nymphomaniac](/source/Nymphomaniac) character, from the book and film [Sophie's Choice](/source/Sophie's_Choice_(film)).

Howie Mandel played the character of [Ernie Lapidus](/source/Ernie_Lapidus), operator of "Sincerity Mortuary" on the 1990 television show [Good Grief](/source/Good_Grief_(TV_series)).

## References

1. JM Latin-English Dictionary ADJ of stone; stony

1. ["Casa bella: Lapidus Granite Slab"](https://web.archive.org/web/20081204104408/http://www.casa-bella.com/granite/lapidus4778.html). 4 December 2008. Archived from [the original](http://www.casa-bella.com/granite/lapidus4778.html) on 4 December 2008. Retrieved 1 February 2019.

1. ["Surname Database: Lapidus Last Name Origin"](http://www.surnamedb.com/surname.aspx?name=Lapidus). *The Internet Surname Database*. Retrieved 1 February 2019.

1. Wexler, Paul (December 1987). [*Explorations in Judeo-Slavic linguistics*](https://books.google.com/books?id=FfYUAAAAIAAJ&q=Lapidot). Brill. p. 50. ISBN 978-90-04-07656-3.

1. ["Interview with the Rev. John Lapidus"](https://www.natcath.org/mainpage/specialdocuments/lapidus.htm). *Natcath.org*. Retrieved 1 February 2019.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Lapidus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lapidus) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lapidus?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.