plaster of Paris


Also found in: Thesaurus, Medical, Financial, Acronyms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.

plaster of Paris

n.
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.

[Middle English, after Paris2France.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

plaster of Paris

n
1. a white powder that sets to a hard solid when mixed with water, used for making sculptures and casts, as an additive for lime plasters, and for making casts for setting broken limbs. It is usually the hemihydrate of calcium sulphate, 2CaSO4.H2O
2. the hard plaster produced when this powder is mixed with water: a fully hydrated form of calcium sulphate
Sometimes shortened to: plaster
[C15: from Medieval Latin plastrum parisiense, originally made from the gypsum of Paris]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

plas′ter of Par′is

(or par′is),


n.
calcined gypsum in white, powdery form, used as a base for gypsum plasters, as an additive of lime plasters, and as a material for fine and ornamental casts.
[1375–1425; so called because prepared from the gypsum of Paris, France]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

plas·ter of Paris

(plăs′tər)
A form of calcium phosphate derived from the mineral gypsum. It is mixed with water to make casts and molds.
The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

plaster of Paris

- So called because it is prepared from the gypsum of Paris, France.
See also related terms for plaster.
Farlex Trivia Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.plaster of Paris - 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
gesso - gypsum or plaster of Paris spread on a surface to make it suitable for painting or gilding (or a surface so prepared)
gypsum - a common white or colorless mineral (hydrated calcium sulphate) used to make cements and plasters (especially plaster of Paris)
calcium sulfate, calcium sulphate - a white salt (CaSO4)
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
Translations

plaster of Paris

ngesso
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
References in classic literature ?
"He'll always be lame," the surgeon said, wiping his hands and gazing down at Michael, who lay, for the most part of him, a motionless prisoner set in plaster of Paris. "All the healing, and there's plenty of it, will have to be by first intention.
Against one wall was a plaster of Paris plaque of an O'Callahan in a Roman helmet.
I saw iron ladles, pans full of white sand, files with white metal left glittering in their teeth, molds of plaster of Paris, bags containing the same material in powder, a powerful machine with the name and use of which I was theoretically not unacquainted, white metal in a partially-fused state, bottles of aquafortis, dies scattered over a dresser, crucibles, sandpaper, bars of metal, and edged tools in plenty, of the strangest construction.
Of course it had not the least effect, except upon a few roaches which had the misfortune to drink water after eating it, and so got their inwards set in a coating of plaster of Paris. The family, having no idea of this, and no more money to throw away, had nothing to do but give up and submit to one more misery for the rest of their days.
Here is my monograph upon the tracing of footsteps, with some remarks upon the uses of plaster of Paris as a preserver of impresses.
The cast was taken in two moulds from each side of the face, and then these two profiles of plaster of Paris were joined together to make the complete bust.
Shortly afterward, a working-man had brought a bundle of laths, and some mortar and plaster of Paris, which had been carefully placed together in a corner of the scullery.
But he is a close friend of ex-Mayor Shahid Hameed Chandida, and was illegally awarded contracts of providing of sand, rexine sheet, rope, pvc pipe, electric material, lime quick and plaster of paris, and repairing of steel chairs.
The figures were made using plaster of Paris moulds to produce the front and back of the figure.
Currently, usage of plaster of paris have a very limited lifespan where it only can be used up to 40 casts only before it is totally saturated [3][4].
Plaster of Paris (POP) bandage cast is still the most common material used for immobilization of fractured limbs as it is inexpensive, commonly available and can be easily applied under remote field conditions to produce a smooth and contouring cast.