DictionaryRoot: gypsos
Greek

gypsos

chalk

1 / 1
A large natural gypsum specimen with translucent tabular crystals and pearly cleavage faces, beside a small stack of cut drywall showing its white mineral core and a shallow dish of plaster powder.
noun

gypsum

JIP-sum/ˈdʒɪpsəm/

A soft calcium sulfate mineral used to make plaster.

Etymology

Greek gypsos meant “chalk”; the English word names the mineral used to make plaster. The Greek term is perhaps of Semitic origin, with comparable Arabic and Hebrew words meaning “plaster.”

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