noun
alabaster
AL-uh-bahs-tuh
noun
1
A soft, fine-grained white or pale-tinted stone (a form of gypsum) often carved into ornaments and small sculptures.
"The museum's prize piece was a delicate alabaster vase carved centuries ago."
"She kept her jewellery in a small alabaster box."
adjective
1
Made of alabaster, or resembling it — smooth, pale, and faintly translucent.
"The poem described her alabaster skin glowing in the candlelight."
How to Use Alabaster
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA soft white ornamental stone, or the pale, smooth quality that stone has.
Common pairings
an alabaster statue
alabaster skin
carved from alabaster
Word Forms
alabasters plural
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The museum's prize piece was a delicate _____ vase carved centuries ago.
Etymology
From Old French alabastre, ultimately from Ancient Greek alabastros, a word for a handleless vase used to store perfume — possibly traced back to an Egyptian phrase referring to a vessel of the goddess Bast.