plaster of Paris

American  

Or plaster of paris

noun

1. calcined gypsum in white, powdery form, used as a base for gypsum plasters, as an additive of lime plasters, and as a material for making fine and ornamental casts: characterized by its ability to set rapidly when mixed with water.

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plaster of Paris British  

noun

1. a white powder that sets to a hard solid when mixed with water, used for making sculptures and casts, as an additive for lime plasters, and for making casts for setting broken limbs. It is usually the hemihydrate of calcium sulphate, 2CaSO 4 .H 2 O

2. the hard plaster produced when this powder is mixed with water: a fully hydrated form of calcium sulphate

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plaster of Paris Scientific  

/ plăs′tər /

1. A form of calcium phosphate derived from gypsum. It is mixed with water to make casts and molds.

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Etymology

Origin of plaster of Paris

1375–1425; late Middle English; so called because prepared from the gypsum of Paris, France

Example Sentences

"Looks like plaster of Paris or sort of a grayish beach sand."

From Salon • Nov. 3, 2022

Beal’s castle was a hallucinatory, improbable cascade of car bumpers, endless Busch beer cans, plaster of Paris archways embedded with abalone shells and dolls, rusted car wheels and driftwood.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 19, 2019

She slathered the walls, the doors and the sooty fireplace with plaster of Paris, then reassembled the dozens of resultant panels — facing out, not in — into a hulking box.

From New York Times • Oct. 4, 2018

Hoyos: In biology, we have to buy plaster of Paris for experiments, to make models.

From Slate • May 2, 2018

A model of the bell, as if it were solid, was first made of clay and plaster of Paris.

From "Cathedral: The Story of Its Construction" by David Macaulay

Related Words

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