alabaster
from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
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.
[1913 Webster]
from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Alabaster \Al"a*bas"ter\, n. [L. alabaster, Gr. 'ala`bastros,
said to be derived fr. Alabastron, the name of a town in
Egypt, near which it was common: cf. OF. alabastre, F.
alb[^a]tre.]
1. (Min.)
(a) A compact variety or sulphate of lime, or gypsum, of
fine texture, and usually white and translucent, but
sometimes yellow, red, or gray. It is carved into
vases, mantel ornaments, etc.
(b) A hard, compact variety of carbonate of lime, somewhat
translucent, or of banded shades of color; stalagmite.
The name is used in this sense by Pliny. It is
sometimes distinguished as oriental alabaster.
[1913 Webster]
2. A box or vessel for holding odoriferous ointments, etc.;
-- so called from the stone of which it was originally
made. --Fosbroke.
[1913 Webster]
from
Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary
Alabaster
occurs only in the New Testament in connection with the box of
"ointment of spikenard very precious," with the contents of
which a woman anointed the head of Jesus as he sat at supper in
the house of Simon the leper (Matt. 26:7; Mark 14:3; Luke 7:37).
These boxes were made from a stone found near Alabastron in
Egypt, and from this circumstance the Greeks gave them the name
of the city where they were made. The name was then given to the
stone of which they were made; and finally to all perfume
vessels, of whatever material they were formed. The woman
"broke" the vessel; i.e., she broke off, as was usually done,
the long and narrow neck so as to reach the contents. This stone
resembles marble, but is softer in its texture, and hence very
easily wrought into boxes. Mark says (14:5) that this box of
ointment was worth more than 300 pence, i.e., denarii, each of
the value of sevenpence halfpenny of our money, and therefore
worth about 10 pounds. But if we take the denarius as the day's
wage of a labourer (Matt. 20:2), say two shillings of our money,
then the whole would be worth about 30 pounds, so costly was
Mary's offering.
from
U.S. Gazetteer (1990)
Alabaster, AL (city, FIPS 820)
Location: 33.22655 N, 86.82462 W
Population (1990): 14732 (5144 housing units)
Area: 48.8 sq km (land), 0.1 sq km (water)
from
U.S. Gazetteer Places (2000)
Alabaster, AL -- U.S. city in Alabama
Population (2000): 22619
Housing Units (2000): 8594
Land area (2000): 20.472605 sq. miles (53.023800 sq. km)
Water area (2000): 0.054715 sq. miles (0.141711 sq. km)
Total area (2000): 20.527320 sq. miles (53.165511 sq. km)
FIPS code: 00820
Located within: Alabama (AL), FIPS 01
Location: 33.231162 N, 86.823829 W
ZIP Codes (1990):
Note: some ZIP codes may be omitted esp. for suburbs.
Headwords:
Alabaster, AL
Alabaster
from
Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0
121 Moby Thesaurus words for "alabaster":
amphibole, antimony, apatite, aplite, arsenic, asbestos, asphalt,
azurite, bauxite, billiard table, bitumen, boron, bowling alley,
bowling green, brimstone, bromine, brucite, calcite, carbon,
celestite, chalcedony, chalk, chlorite, chromite, clay, coal, coke,
corundum, cryolite, diatomite, driven snow, emery, epidote,
epsomite, feldspar, flat, fleece, flour, foam, garnet, glass,
glauconite, graphite, gypsum, hatchettine, holosiderite, ice,
iron pyrites, ivory, jet, kyanite, level, lignite, lily, lime,
maggot, magnesite, mahogany, malachite, maltha, marble, marcasite,
marl, meerschaum, mica, milk, mineral coal, mineral oil,
mineral salt, mineral tallow, mineral tar, mineral wax,
molybdenite, monazite, obsidian, olivine, ozokerite, paper, pearl,
peat, perlite, phosphate rock, phosphorus, plane, pumice, pyrite,
pyrites, pyroxene, quartz, realgar, red clay, rhodonite,
rock crystal, rocks, salt, satin, selenite, selenium, sheet,
siderite, silica, silicate, silicon, silk, silver, slide, smooth,
snow, spar, spinel, spodumene, sulfur, swan, talc, talcum,
tellurium, tennis court, velvet, wollastonite, wulfenite,
zeolite
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