Definition of "alabaster" []

• A dense translucent, white or tinted fine-grained gypsum. (noun)
• A variety of hard calcite, translucent and sometimes banded. (noun)
• A pale yellowish pink to yellowish gray. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Or rather, what we call alabaster now is not what was called alabaster in ancient times."
• "Pillars of marble and alabaster support the base, and the tabernacle, also of alabaster, is surmounted by four beautifully carved angels in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament."
• "A certain amount of alabaster is used to line the interior, but it is not carved or decorated in any way."