Standard Lemma guide

alabaster

adj · name · noun · 11 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /ˈæl.əˌbɑːs.tə/
  • UK: /ˈæl.əˌbæs.tə/
  • US: /ˈæl.əˌbæs.tɚ/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɑːstə(ɹ)
  • rhymes with -æstə(ɹ)
  • CMU ARPABET: AE1 L AH0 B AE2 S T ER0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Made of alabaster.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Examples

  • The crown is stored in an alabaster box with an onyx handle and a gold lock.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Resembling alabaster; white, pale, smooth, translucent.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Examples

  • An ominous alabaster fog settled in the valley.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: alabastrine

Antonyms: none provided

3

name

Meaning 3

A city in Shelby County, Alabama, United States.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

A fine-grained white or lightly-tinted variety of gypsum, used ornamentally.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable, usually

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

A variety of calcite, translucent and sometimes banded.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: historical, uncountable, usually

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

A sculpture executed in alabaster.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable, usually

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

noun

Meaning 7

An off-white color, like that of alabaster.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable, usually

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

adjective

Meaning 8

of or resembling alabaster

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • alabaster statue

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: alabastrine

Antonyms: none provided

9

noun

Meaning 9

a very light white

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: white, whiteness

10

noun

Meaning 10

a compact fine-textured, usually white gypsum used for carving

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: gypsum

11

noun

Meaning 11

a hard compact kind of calcite

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: oriental alabaster, onyx marble, Mexican onyx

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: calcite

History

Etymology

From Middle English alabastre, from Old French alabastre, from Latin alabaster (“box for perfumes or unguents”), from Ancient Greek ἀλάβαστρος (alábastros), from earlier ἀλάβαστος (alábastos, “vase without handles for storing perfumes”). This may further derive from Egyptian ꜥj-r-bꜣstjt (“vessel of the Egyptian goddess Bast”). The Latin suffix -aster is unrelated, but may have influenced the spelling of the borrowing from Ancient Greek (whence a direct loan could have been rendered as *alabastrus).

Across languages

Translations

56 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Armenian: ալեբաստրե (alebastre) — made of alabaster
  • Catalan: alabastrí — made of alabaster
  • Dutch: albasten — made of alabaster
  • Esperanto: alabastra — made of alabaster
  • Finnish: alabasteri- — made of alabaster
  • Finnish: alabasterinen — made of alabaster
  • German: alabastern — made of alabaster
  • Greek: αλαβάστρινος (alavástrinos) — made of alabaster
  • Hungarian: alabástrom — made of alabaster
  • Polish: alabastrowy — made of alabaster
  • Russian: алеба́стровый (alebástrovyj) — made of alabaster
  • Finnish: alabasterinen — resembling alabaster
  • Arabic: مرمر — variety of gypsum
  • Armenian: ալեբաստր (alebastr) — variety of gypsum
  • Bulgarian: алабастър (alabastǎr) — variety of gypsum
  • Catalan: alabastre — variety of gypsum
  • Danish: alabast — variety of gypsum
  • Dutch: albast — variety of gypsum
  • Egyptian: S-s-V6:W3 (šs) — variety of gypsum
  • Esperanto: alabastro — variety of gypsum
  • Finnish: alabasteri — variety of gypsum
  • French: albâtre — variety of gypsum
  • German: Alabaster — variety of gypsum
  • Greek: αλάβαστρο (alávastro) — variety of gypsum
  • Ancient Greek: ἀλάβαστρον (alábastron) — variety of gypsum
  • Hebrew: בהט (báhat) — variety of gypsum
  • Hindi: सेलखड़ी (selkhaṛī) — variety of gypsum
  • Hungarian: alabástrom — variety of gypsum
  • Indonesian: albas — variety of gypsum
  • Irish: albastar — variety of gypsum
  • Italian: alabastro — variety of gypsum
  • Japanese: 雪花石膏 (sekka sekkō) — variety of gypsum
  • Kalmyk: җуңшу (juñşu) — variety of gypsum
  • Kazakh: алебастр (alebastr) — variety of gypsum
  • Korean: 설화석고 (seolhwaseokgo) — variety of gypsum
  • Latin: alabaster — variety of gypsum
  • Middle English: alabastre — variety of gypsum
  • Norwegian Bokmål: alabast — variety of gypsum
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: alabast — variety of gypsum
  • Polish: alabaster — variety of gypsum
  • Portuguese: alabastro — variety of gypsum
  • Romanian: alabastru — variety of gypsum
  • Russian: алеба́стр (alebástr) — variety of gypsum
  • Serbo-Croatian: alabaster — variety of gypsum
  • Spanish: alabastro — variety of gypsum
  • Swedish: alabaster — variety of gypsum
  • Tagalog: alabastro — variety of gypsum
  • Turkish: kaymak taşı — variety of gypsum
  • Turkish: su mermeri — variety of gypsum
  • Turkish: albatr — variety of gypsum
  • Ottoman Turkish: قایماق طاشی (kaymak taşı) — variety of gypsum
  • Ottoman Turkish: صو مرمری (su mermeri) — variety of gypsum
  • Yoruba: alabásítà — variety of gypsum
  • Finnish: alabasteri — variety of calcite
  • Finnish: alabasteriveistos — sculpture executed in alabaster
  • Finnish: alabasterinvalkoinen — off-white color