alabaster

noun

al·​a·​bas·​ter ˈa-lə-ˌba-stər 

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 adjective

or alabastrine

ˌa-lə-ˈba-strən 

Examples of alabaster in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

This best seller from West Elm is versatile, well-crafted, and comes in two super accessible variations: alabaster bouclé and the dark green velvet. —Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 1 Apr. 2025

The tomb contained bronze tools, arrowheads, alabaster jars and a gold ring, highlighting the leader’s importance. —Stories By Real-Time News Team, With Ai Summarization, Miami Herald, 28 Mar. 2025

Nolen: The alabaster brow, the little dots of red in your cheek. —Stephanie Nolen, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2025

The crystal is housed in a pure white alabaster stone casing that can transform into a pedestal, reminiscent of a Roman column, creating an art installation, with the empty flacon weighing almost 6 kilos as the alabaster box. —Luisa Zargani, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2019

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for alabaster

• burgomaster
• choirmaster
• quartermaster
• stationmaster
• aster
• blaster
• caster
• castor
• faster
• gaster
• laster
• master

Kids Definition

alabaster

noun

al·​a·​bas·​ter ˈal-ə-ˌbas-tər 

1

: a smooth usually white and nearly transparent gypsum used for carving (as vases)

2

: a hard calcite that is nearly transparent and sometimes has stripes

Geographical Definition

Alabaster

geographical name

Al·​a·​bas·​ter ˈa-lə-ˌba-stər 

city in central Alabama south of Birmingham population 30,352