gypsum

noun

gyp·​sum ˈjip-səm 

1

: a widely distributed mineral consisting of hydrous calcium sulfate that is used especially as a soil amendment and in making plaster of paris

2

: drywall

Examples of gypsum in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

One analog of this on Earth can be found in Algeria, where five-million-year-old Messinian gypsum deposits serve as a proxy for Martian hydrated sulfate that could hold fossil microbes because these require water to form. —David Szondy, New Atlas, 26 Feb. 2025

However, finding things that look like the could be fossils embedded in gypsum surrounded by clay and especially dolomite would be a strong indication that the fossil-like structures are biological, given the connection between those minerals and life. —Keith Cooper, Space.com, 25 Feb. 2025

The dunes at the Roadrunners Picnic Area are open to sledding, and the gypsum hills behave exactly like snow slopes. —Graham Averill, Outside Online, 4 Feb. 2025

The team thinks this particular burial held an individual of high status, as the coffin was finely crafted and the gypsum would have been expensive, per a statement from Headland Archaeology. —Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin, from Greek gypsos

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

gypsum

noun

gyp·​sum ˈjip-səm 

: a colorless mineral that consists of calcium sulfate occurring in crystals or masses and that is used especially as a soil improver and in making plaster of paris

Medical Definition

gypsum

noun

gyp·​sum ˈjip-səm 

: a widely distributed mineral CaSO₄·2H₂O consisting of hydrous calcium sulfate that is used especially as a soil amendment and in making plaster of paris