n.
Any of a group of gypsum cements, essentially hemihydrated calcium sulfate, CaSO4ยท1/2H2O, 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 PARIS2, France.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
