alabaster

American  

[al-uh-bas-ter, -bah-ster] / ˈæl əˌbæs tər, -ˌbɑ stər /

noun

1. a finely granular variety of gypsum, often white and translucent, used for ornamental objects or work, such as lamp bases, figurines, etc.

2. Also called Oriental alabaster.  a variety of calcite, often banded, used or sold as alabaster.

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adjective

1. made of alabaster.

   an alabaster column.

2. resembling alabaster; smooth and white.

   her alabaster throat.

alabaster British  

/ -ˌbæstə, ˈæləˌbɑːstə /

noun

1. a fine-grained usually white, opaque, or translucent variety of gypsum used for statues, vases, etc

2. a variety of hard semitranslucent calcite, often banded like marble

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adjective

1. of or resembling alabaster

Other Word Forms

• alabastrine adjective

Etymology

Origin of alabaster

1350–1400; < Latin < Greek alábastros; replacing Middle English alabastre < Middle French < Latin

Explanation

Alabaster is a pale mineral that's soft enough for carving. In museums, you're likely to see statues and vases carved from alabaster. The root of alabaster is a Greek word meaning "perfume vase," alabastros. You'll also find ancient tomb carvings, windows in medieval cathedrals, and Egyptian sarcophagi made of alabaster. Alabaster is usually white, and because it is translucent, seems lit from within. For this reason, it often describes a pale complexion that seems to glow from the inside.

Example Sentences

They include the alabaster monument to John, seventh earl of Arundel, a high-profile casualty of the Hundred Years’ War with France.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 11, 2026

The find included an enormous collection of artifacts, among them many exquisitely preserved Egyptian alabaster vessels that likely represented the finest available during Tutankhamen's reign, which last from 1,333 to 1,323 BCE.

From Science Daily • Dec. 18, 2025

The exterior is covered in hieroglyphs and translucent alabaster cut into triangles with a pyramid shaped entrance.

From BBC • Oct. 31, 2025

The king stares intently into an eternal distance through composite orbs fashioned from alabaster and glass, rendered in varying degrees of clarity, transparency and opacity.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 11, 2025

Near where he stood an old man squatted on his haunches beside a great slab of alabaster, examining and blowing at a small hollow in one corner of it.

From "The Golden Goblet" by Eloise Jarvis McGraw

Related Words

• porcelain