Alabaster

• POS: Adjective, Noun
• HYPHEN: al=a=bas=ter

CIDE DICTIONARY

Alabaster, n. [L. alabaster, Gr. 'ala`bastros, said to be derived fr. Alabastron, the name of a town in Egypt, near which it was common: cf. OF. alabastre, F. albâtre.].

•  A compact variety or sulphate of lime, or gypsum, of fine texture, and usually white and translucent, but sometimes yellow, red, or gray. It is carved into vases, mantel ornaments, etc.  [1913 Webster]
•  A box or vessel for holding odoriferous ointments, etc.; -- so called from the stone of which it was originally made.  Fosbroke.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

Alabaster, n. & adj.
--n. a translucent usu. white form of gypsum, often carved into ornaments.
--adj.
1 of alabaster.
2 like alabaster in whiteness or smoothness.

Derivative

alabastrine adj.

Etymology

ME f. OF alabastre f. L alabaster, -trum, f. Gk alabast(r)os

THESAURUS

Alabaster

amphibole, antimony, apatite, aplite, arsenic, asbestos, asphalt, azurite, bauxite, billiard table, bitumen, boron, bowling alley, bowling green, brimstone, bromine, brucite, calcite, carbon, celestite, chalcedony, chalk, chlorite, chromite, clay, coal, coke, corundum, cryolite, diatomite, driven snow, emery, epidote, epsomite, feldspar, flat, fleece, flour, foam, garnet, glass, glauconite, graphite, gypsum, hatchettine, holosiderite, ice, iron pyrites, ivory, jet, kyanite, level, lignite, lily, lime, maggot, magnesite, mahogany, malachite, maltha, marble, marcasite, marl, meerschaum, mica, milk, mineral coal, mineral oil, mineral salt, mineral tallow, mineral tar, mineral wax, molybdenite, monazite, obsidian, olivine, ozokerite, paper, pearl, peat, perlite, phosphate rock, phosphorus, plane, pumice, pyrite, pyrites, pyroxene, quartz, realgar, red clay, rhodonite, rock crystal, rocks, salt, satin, selenite, selenium, sheet, siderite, silica, silicate, silicon, silk, silver, slide, smooth, snow, spar, spinel, spodumene, sulfur, swan, talc, talcum, tellurium, tennis court, velvet, wollastonite, wulfenite, zeolite

ROGET THESAURUS

Alabaster

Whiteness

N whiteness, argent, albification, etiolation, lactescence, snow, paper, chalk, milk, lily, ivory, alabaster, albata, eburin, German silver, white metal, barium sulphate, titanium oxide, blanc fixe, ceruse, pearl white, white lead, carbonate of lead, white, milk-white, snow-white, snowy, niveous, candid, chalky, hoar, hoary, silvery, argent, argentine, canescent, cretaceous, lactescent, whitish, creamy, pearly, fair, blond, blanched, high in tone, light, white as a sheet, white as driven snow, white as a lily, white as silver, like ivory.