plaster

[plas-ter, plah-ster] /ˈplæs tər, ˈplɑ stər/

noun

a composition, as of lime or gypsum, sand, water, and sometimes hair or other fiber, applied in a pasty form to walls, ceilings, etc., and allowed to harden and dry.

powdered gypsum.

plaster of Paris.

a solid or semisolid preparation spread upon cloth, plastic, or other material and applied to the body, especially for some healing purpose.

verb (used with object)

to cover (walls, ceilings, etc.) with plaster.

to treat with gypsum or plaster of Paris.

to lay flat like a layer of plaster.

to daub or fill with plaster or something similar.

to apply a plaster to (the body, a wound, etc.).

10.

to overspread with something, especially thickly or excessively:

a wall plastered with posters.

11.

Informal.

to defeat decisively; trounce; drub.
to knock down or injure, as by a blow or beating.
to inflict serious damage or injury on by heavy bombing, shelling, or other means of attack.

Origin

before 1000; Middle English, Old English < Medieval Latin plastrum plaster (both medical and building senses), aphetic variant of Latin emplastrum < Greek émplastron salve, alteration of émplaston, neuter of émplastos daubed; see em-², -plast

Related forms

plasterer, noun

plasteriness, noun

plasterlike, plastery, adjective

replaster, verb (used with object)

unplaster, verb (used with object)

Examples from the web for plaster

Tinted plaster lends a lush brown suede effect to the entry walls, transitioning to a gray-blue hue on the ceiling.
To maintain the integrity of the house, the owners had the walls repaired with plaster, not drywall.
Clay plaster on two walls adds a delicate contrast to concrete and redwood elements.
It was thrown up quickly in little more than a year, and many of the buildings were made with a mixture of hemp and plaster.
The cracked plaster and faded paint on its high walls are covered with modern art of dubious quality.
When small areas of the reflector get damaged, fill it in with plaster if needed and glue on some aluminum foil.
Instead, wedged between the interior plaster wall and exterior clapboard is a non-load-bearing wall of bricks.
The skull had been given a plaster nose, and its eye sockets had been filled with plaster.
In preparation for transport, the prospectors then wrapped the sections in layers of tissue paper, aluminum foil and plaster.
The air inside is pleasantly cool, and the walls are smooth and dry, with patches of original plaster.

British Dictionary definitions for plaster

plaster

/ˈplɑːstə/

noun

a mixture of lime, sand, and water, sometimes stiffened with hair or other fibres, that is applied to the surface of a wall or ceiling as a soft paste that hardens when dry

(Brit & Austral, NZ) an adhesive strip of material, usually medicated, for dressing a cut, wound, etc

short for mustard plaster, plaster of Paris

verb

to coat (a wall, ceiling, etc) with plaster

(transitive) to apply like plaster: she plastered make-up on her face

(transitive) to cause to lie flat or to adhere

(transitive) to apply a plaster cast to

(transitive) (slang) to strike or defeat with great force

Derived Forms

plasterer, noun
plastery, adjective

Word Origin

Old English, from Medieval Latin plastrum medicinal salve, building plaster, via Latin from Greek emplastron curative dressing, from em- + plassein to form

Word Origin and History for plaster

late Old English plaster "medicinal application," from Vulgar Latin plastrum, shortened from Latin emplastrum "a plaster" (in the medical as well as the building sense), from Greek emplastron "salve, plaster" (used by Galen instead of more usual emplaston), noun use of neuter of emplastos "daubed on," from en- "on" + plastos "molded," from plassein "to mold" (see plasma). The building construction material is first recorded in English c.1300, via Old French plastre, from the same source, and in early use the English word often had the French spelling.

"to coat with plaster," early 14c., from plaster (n.) and partly Old French plastrier "to cover with plaster" (Modern French plâtrer), from plastre (see plaster (n.). Related: Plastered; plastering. Figurative use from c.1600. Meaning "to bomb (a target) heavily" is first recorded 1915. Sports sense of "to defeat decisively" is from 1919.

plaster in Medicine

plaster plas·ter (plās'tər)
n.

Plaster of Paris.
A pastelike mixture applied to a part of the body for healing or cosmetic purposes.

Slang definitions & phrases for plaster

plaster

noun

A banknote, esp a one-dollar bill: If you need a couple of plasters until Ed gets out, tell me (1940s+)
A person who surreptitiously follows another; shadow; tail: He probably knew he had a plaster by this time (1940s+)
A subpoena or summons; arrest warrant (1950s+)

verb

To cover or apply generously: They plastered the city with leaflets (1585+)

[money sense fr shinplaster, an early 19th-century term for ''currency of little value or very small denomination'']

Encyclopedia Article for plaster

a pasty composition (as of lime or gypsum, water, and sand) that hardens on drying and is used for coating walls, ceilings, and partitions

Learn more about plaster with a free trial on Britannica.com