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plaster of Paris

Plaster of Paris is a powder that forms a paste when mixed with water and then thickens and hardens.

(noun)

An example of plaster of Paris is one of the materials used to create a cast for a broken arm.

See plaster of Paris in Webster's New World College Dictionary

a heavy white powder, calcined gypsum, which, when mixed with water, forms a thick paste that sets quickly: used for casts, moldings, statuary, etc.

Origin: from use of gypsum from Montmartre in Paris in its manufacture

See plaster of Paris in American Heritage Dictionary 4

noun

Any of a group of gypsum cements, essentially hemihydrated calcium sulfate, CaSO₄· ¹/₂ H₂O, a white powder that forms a paste when it is mixed with water and then hardens into a solid, used in making casts, molds, and sculpture.

Origin:

Origin: Middle English

Origin: , after Paris², France

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