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]

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      -- so called from the stone of which it was originally
      made.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]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

alabaster
    adj 1: of or resembling alabaster; "alabaster statue" [syn:
           alabaster, alabastrine]
    n 1: a compact fine-textured, usually white gypsum used for
         carving
    2: a hard compact kind of calcite [syn: alabaster, oriental
       alabaster, onyx marble, Mexican onyx]
    3: a very light white

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



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.


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