Main Entry:

al·a·bas·ter

Pronunciation:

\ˈa-lə-ˌbas-tər\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

Middle English alabastre, from Anglo-French albastre, from Latin alabaster vase of alabaster, from Greek alabastros

Date:

14th century

1 : a compact fine-textured usually white and translucent gypsum often carved into vases and ornaments 2 : a hard calcite or aragonite that is translucent and sometimes banded

— alabaster or al·a·bas·trine \ˌa-lə-ˈbas-trən\ adjective