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ENGLISH · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

alabaster.

A fine-grained white or lightly-tinted variety of gypsum, used ornamentally.

9 characters4 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

noun/ˈæl.əˌbɑːs.tə/UK/ˈæl.əˌbæs.tə/UK/ˈæl.əˌbæs.tɚ/US
  1. A fine-grained white or lightly-tinted variety of gypsum, used ornamentally.

    uncountable · usually
  2. A variety of calcite, translucent and sometimes banded.

    historical · uncountable · usually
  3. A sculpture executed in alabaster.

    uncountable · usually
  4. An off-white color, like that of alabaster.

    uncountable · usually
Where this word comes from

From Middle English alabastre, from Old French alabastre, from Latin alabaster (“box for perfumes or unguents”), from Ancient Greek ἀλάβαστρος (alábastros), from earlier ἀλάβαστος (alábastos, “vase without handles for storing perfumes”). This may further derive from Egyptian ꜥj-r-bꜣstjt (“vessel of the Egyptian goddess Bast”). The Latin suffix -aster is unrelated, but may have influenced the spelling of the borrowing from Ancient Greek (whence a direct loan could have been rendered as *alabastrus).

adj/ˈæl.əˌbɑːs.tə/UK/ˈæl.əˌbæs.tə/UK/ˈæl.əˌbæs.tɚ/US
  1. Made of alabaster.

    not-comparable
    The crown is stored in an alabaster box with an onyx handle and a gold lock.
  2. Resembling alabaster; white, pale, smooth, translucent.

    not-comparable
    An ominous alabaster fog settled in the valley.
Where this word comes from

From Middle English alabastre, from Old French alabastre, from Latin alabaster (“box for perfumes or unguents”), from Ancient Greek ἀλάβαστρος (alábastros), from earlier ἀλάβαστος (alábastos, “vase without handles for storing perfumes”). This may further derive from Egyptian ꜥj-r-bꜣstjt (“vessel of the Egyptian goddess Bast”). The Latin suffix -aster is unrelated, but may have influenced the spelling of the borrowing from Ancient Greek (whence a direct loan could have been rendered as *alabastrus).

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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.