lapillus

[ luh-pil-uhs ]

/ ləˈpɪl əs /

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noun, plural la·pil·li

[luh-pil-ahy]. /ləˈpɪl aɪ/.

a small stony particle ejected from a volcano.

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Origin of lapillus

1740–50; <Latin: little stone, pebble, diminutive of lapis stone

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use lapillus in a sentence

These ejections were followed by dark sand, with lapilli and small fragments of scori of the same colour.
The Eruption of Vesuvius in 1872|Luigi Palmieri
With the lapilli, and sometimes without them, the smoke carried a very minute dust or sand, which is generally called ashes.
The Eruption of Vesuvius in 1872|Luigi Palmieri
We observed, that when lava abounded, the projection of rocks and lapilli either ceased altogether, or became of small amount.
Personal Recollections, from Early Life to Old Age, of Mary Somerville|Mary Somerville
A cubic mile of material is said to have been thrown out in the form of lapilli and dust by the successive explosions.
Wealth of the World's Waste Places and Oceania |Jewett Castello Gilson

There was no pumice shown to me, but the dust and lapilli all seemed to be composed of comminuted old rock.
Complete Story of the San Francisco Horror|Richard Linthicum

British Dictionary definitions for lapillus

lapillus

/ (ləˈpɪləs) /

noun plural -li (-laɪ)

a small piece of lava thrown from a volcano

Word Origin for lapillus

C18: Latin: little stone

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for lapillus

lapillus

[ lə-pĭl′əs ]

Plural lapilli (lə-pĭl′ī′)

A small fragment of lava, between 2 and 64 mm in size, blown out from a volcano.