lapide
/ˈla.pi.de/
The Italian word for gravestone is lapide.
lapide is used to describe a stone marker placed over a grave to identify the person buried there. It can also be used more broadly to refer to a tablet or a plaque.
Which one should you use?
The phrase lapide funeraria is specifically used when you want to be more descriptive and formal.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of lapide is lapidi.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈla.pi.de/. The word has 3 syllables and the stress is on the first syllable.
Did you know?
- Italian cemeteries often feature lapidi that are integrated into large wall structures called 'loculi' rather than standing as individual slabs in the ground.
- The word lapide is often used in a metaphorical sense in Italian literature to describe something cold, hard, or unyielding, like a person's heart.
- The term lapide comes from the Latin lapidem, making it a doublet of the word lapis, which is the root for 'lapis lazuli'.
Examples in context
- La lapide funeraria è molto bellaThe gravestone is very beautiful
- Mi piace l'idea di una pietra tombale sempliceI like the idea of a simple gravestone
- Il nome del defunto è inciso sulla lapide.The name of the deceased is engraved on the gravestone.
- Ho pulito la lapide di mio nonno.I cleaned my grandfather's gravestone.
- La lapide è molto difficile da leggere.The gravestone is very difficult to read.
Example conversation
Martina and Francesco are visiting an old cemetery.
- MartinaGuarda quella lapide di marmo, Francesco.Look at that marble gravestone, Francesco.
- FrancescoÈ bellissima, ma sembra molto vecchia.It is beautiful, but it looks very old.
- MartinaSì, ha molte scritte erose dal tempo.Yes, it has many inscriptions worn by time.
- FrancescoDobbiamo fare attenzione a non rovinarla.We must be careful not to damage it.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry lapide, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries lapide, CC BY-SA 4.0.
