alabaster
Americannoun
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a finely granular variety of gypsum, often white and translucent, used for ornamental objects or work, such as lamp bases, figurines, etc.
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Also called Oriental alabaster. a variety of calcite, often banded, used or sold as alabaster.
adjective
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made of alabaster.
an alabaster column.
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resembling alabaster; smooth and white.
her alabaster throat.
noun
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a fine-grained usually white, opaque, or translucent variety of gypsum used for statues, vases, etc
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a variety of hard semitranslucent calcite, often banded like marble
adjective
Other Word Forms
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.
Vocabulary lists containing alabaster
The Cay
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Wonder
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White
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Amid all the flash and bling, an alabaster weight used to hold down the cloth spreads that covered palace floors during the hot months could easily escape notice.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026
The researchers said Carter recorded evidence of an ancient looting episode that focused on what was inside the alabaster vessels.
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 infamous “waxworks” scene captures silent-era figures like Buster Keaton playing cards, their faces pure funereal alabaster.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2025
He stared at the old building, at the grand alabaster staircase gleaming in the morning light.
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
