gypsum

American  

[jip-suhm] / ˈdʒɪp səm /

noun

1. a very common mineral, hydrated calcium sulfate, CaSO 4 ⋅2H 2 O, occurring in crystals and in masses, soft enough to be scratched by the fingernail: used to make plaster of Paris, as an ornamental material, as a fertilizer, etc.

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gypsum British  

/ ˈdʒɪpsəm, dʒɪpˈsɪfərəs, ˈdʒɪpsɪəs /

noun

1. a colourless or white mineral sometimes tinted by impurities, found in beds as an evaporite. It is used in the manufacture of plaster of Paris, cement, paint, school chalk, glass, and fertilizer. Composition: hydrated calcium sulphate. Formula: CaSO 4 .2H 2 O. Crystal structure: monoclinic

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gypsum Scientific  

/ jĭp′səm /

1. A colorless, white, or pinkish mineral. Gypsum occurs as individual blade-shaped crystals or as massive beds in sedimentary rocks, especially those formed through the evaporation of saline-rich water. It is used in manufacturing plasterboard, cement, and fertilizers. Chemical formula: CaSO ₄ ·2H ₂ O.

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Other Word Forms

• gypseous adjective
• gypsiferous adjective

Etymology

Origin of gypsum

1640–50; < Latin: chalk < Greek gýpsos chalk, gypsum

Example Sentences

For the rest of the building is disappointingly lackluster—boxy white galleries and corridors in “painted gypsum board,” i.e., sheetrock.

From The Wall Street Journal

Additionally, the basin was filled with layers of salt and gypsum.

From Science Daily

The best remedy for high pH, Wallace said, is to add gypsum to your soil and avoid things that can make the soil more alkaline, such as crushed concrete.

From Los Angeles Times

The underground road leading down to where the gypsum is extracted is steep and with sharp bends.

From BBC

A runaway freighter full of gypsum rammed a steel bridge, but the cause was crew inattention, not mechanical like Baltimore.

From Seattle Times

Related Words

• adhesive
• cement
• glue
• lime
• mortar
• stucco