What is "alabaster"

Gypsum \Gyp"sum\ (j[i^]p"s[u^]m), n. [L. gypsum, Gr. gy`psos; cf. Ar. jibs plaster, mortar, Per. jabs[imac]n lime.] (Min.) A mineral consisting of the hydrous sulphate of lime (calcium). When calcined, it forms plaster of Paris. Selenite is a transparent, crystalline variety; alabaster, a fine, white, massive variety.

translucent whitish kind of gypsum used for vases, ornaments, and busts, late 14c., from Old French alabastre (12c., Modern French albâtre), from Latin alabaster "colored rock used to make boxes and vessels for unguents," from Greek alabastros (earlier albatos) "vase for perfumes," perhaps from Egyptian 'a-labaste "vessel of the goddess Bast." Used figuratively for whiteness and smoothness from 1570s. "The spelling in 16-17th c. is almost always alablaster ..." [OED].

a. 1 Made of alabaster 2 Resembling alabaster: white, pale, translucent. n. 1 A fine-grained white or lightly-tinted variety of gypsum, used ornamentally. 2 (context historical English) A variety of calcite, translucent and sometimes banded.

1. n. a compact fine-textured usually white gypsum used for carving

2. a hard compact kind of calcite [syn: oriental alabaster, onyx marble, Mexican onyx]

3. a very light white

Alabaster is a name used in two different fields with two different meanings. This article concentrates on the archaeological and stone trade professional meaning of the word. They define "alabaster" by a set of external characteristics: a usually light-coloured, translucent and soft stone that has been used throughout human history mainly for carving decorative artifacts. In this sense it refers to both gypsum and calcite, two distinct varieties of minerals.

Geologists define alabaster strictly as a compact and fine-grained variety of gypsum. Chemically, gypsum is a hydrous sulfate of calcium, while calcite is a carbonate of calcium.

The calcite variety is also known as onyx-marble, Egyptian alabaster, or Oriental alabaster and is geologically described as either a compact banded travertine or "a stalagmitic limestone marked with patterns of swirling bands of cream and brown". "Onyx-marble" must be understood as a traditional, but geologically inaccurate term, since both onyx and marble have geological definitions distinct from even the widest one applicable for alabaster.

In general (but not always), ancient alabaster is calcite in the wider Middle East, including Egypt and Mesopotamia, while it is gypsum in medieval Europe. Modern alabaster is probably calcite, but may be either. Both are easy to work and slightly water-soluble. They have been used for making a variety of indoor artworks and carvings, as they will not survive long outdoors.

The two kinds are readily distinguished by differences in their hardness: gypsum alabaster is so soft it can be scratched with a fingernail ( Mohs hardness 1.5 to 2), while calcite cannot be scratched in this way (Mohs hardness 3), although it does yield to a knife. Moreover, calcite alabaster, being a carbonate, effervesces when treated with hydrochloric acid, while gypsum alabaster remains nearly unaffected when thus treated.

is a manga series written and illustrated by Osamu Tezuka, published in Akita Shoten's Weekly Shōnen Champion from December 1970 to June 1971. Digital Manga recently successfully crowdfunded the publication of the manga in English.

Alabaster is a name applied to certain minerals, mainly gypsum (a hydrous sulfate of calcium) and calcite (a carbonate of calcium).

Alabaster may also refer to:

Alabaster is an English surname, originally meaning someone who provided armed service with a crossbow. Notable people with the surname include:

• Chaloner Alabaster (1838–1898) British consular officer in China
• C. Grenville Alabaster, (1880–1958) Attorney General of Hong Kong
• Gren Alabaster, (born 1933) New Zealand Cricketer (brother of Jack)
• Jack Alabaster (born 1930) New Zealand Cricketer (brother of Gren)
• Martin Alabaster (born 1958), British Royal Navy admiral
• William Alabaster (1567–1640) poet, playwright, and religious writer

Alabaster is dark fantasy and science fiction author Caitlin R. Kiernan's fourth collection of short fiction. It consists of five stories concerning the misadventures of Dancy Flammarion, the albino girl and monster hunter who first appeared in Kiernan's 2001 novel, Threshold. The tales follow Dancy from her childhood in the backwoods and swamps of the Florida panhandle to her teenage duels with strange and murderous creatures in south Georgia. Haunted by a being which may or may not be an angel, Dancy is driven from one encounter to the next, gradually beginning to doubt the nature of her quest. All of these stories occur before the events of Threshold. Released by Subterranean Press, the book is illustrated by Ted Naifeh. The collection was released with a chapbook containing a sixth Dancy Flammarion story, "Highway 97." The book's afterword, "On the Road to Jefferson," was originally released as a chapbook by Subterranean Press in 2002 to accompany the hardcover edition of "Les Fleurs Empoisonnées," titled In the Garden of Poisonous Flowers.