Phrase guide

plaster of Paris

noun · 2 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

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1

noun

Meaning 1

A hemihydrate of calcium sulfate, made by calcining gypsum, that hardens when moistened and allowed to dry; used to make casts, molds and sculpture.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: gypsum plaster, plaster

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

any of several gypsum cements; a white powder (a form of calcium sulphate) that forms a paste when mixed with water and hardens into a solid; used in making molds and sculptures and casts for broken limbs

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: plaster

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: calcium sulphate, calcium sulfate

Narrower terms: gesso

History

Etymology

So named after a large gypsum deposit at Montmartre, Paris.

Across languages

Translations

33 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Catalan: guix — hemihydrate of calcium sulfate
  • Czech: sádra — hemihydrate of calcium sulfate
  • Danish: gips — hemihydrate of calcium sulfate
  • Finnish: kipsi — hemihydrate of calcium sulfate
  • Finnish: kipsilaasti — hemihydrate of calcium sulfate
  • French: plâtre — hemihydrate of calcium sulfate
  • German: Stuckgips — hemihydrate of calcium sulfate
  • German: Gips — hemihydrate of calcium sulfate
  • German: Gipsmörtel — hemihydrate of calcium sulfate
  • German: Gipsputz — hemihydrate of calcium sulfate
  • Greek: γύψος (gýpsos) — hemihydrate of calcium sulfate
  • Hindi: प्लास्टर आफ पेरिस (plāsṭar āph peris) — hemihydrate of calcium sulfate
  • Hindi: गच (gac) — hemihydrate of calcium sulfate
  • Hungarian: gipsz — hemihydrate of calcium sulfate
  • Irish: plástar Pháras — hemihydrate of calcium sulfate
  • Italian: gesso — hemihydrate of calcium sulfate
  • Korean: 소석고 (soseokgo) — hemihydrate of calcium sulfate
  • Malay: kapur paris — hemihydrate of calcium sulfate
  • Malay: plaster paris — hemihydrate of calcium sulfate
  • Malayalam: പ്ലാസ്റ്റർ ഓഫ് പാരീസ് (plāsṟṟaṟ ōphŭ pārīsŭ) — hemihydrate of calcium sulfate
  • Norwegian Bokmål: gips — hemihydrate of calcium sulfate
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: gips — hemihydrate of calcium sulfate
  • Polish: gips sztukatorski — hemihydrate of calcium sulfate
  • Portuguese: gesso de Paris — hemihydrate of calcium sulfate
  • Romanian: ghips — hemihydrate of calcium sulfate
  • Russian: алебастр (alebastr) — hemihydrate of calcium sulfate
  • Scots: stookie — hemihydrate of calcium sulfate
  • Spanish: yeso blanco — hemihydrate of calcium sulfate
  • Swedish: gips — hemihydrate of calcium sulfate
  • Tagalog: eskayola — hemihydrate of calcium sulfate
  • Thai: ปูนปลาสเตอร์ (bpuun-bpláas-dtə̂ə) — hemihydrate of calcium sulfate
  • Turkish: alçı — hemihydrate of calcium sulfate
  • Ottoman Turkish: آلچی (alçı) — hemihydrate of calcium sulfate