gypsum

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈd͡ʒɪp.səm/^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin gypsum,^{[2][3][4][5][6]} from Ancient Greek γύψος (gýpsos, “chalk, gypsum”),^{[2][3][4][5][6]} probably of Semitic origin;^[2][4] compare Arabic jibs and Hebrew gephes “plaster”.^[4] The Middle English forms were gypsus and gipsum.^[3][2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Hydrated calcium sulphate, the mineral from which plaster of Paris is made (1387 in the OED, before 1384 in Barnhart).^[7][3]

Semantic evolution

The meaning has stayed the same.^[7][4] The verb, to dress land with gypsum as a fertilizer, is recorded from 1819.^[7] Merriam-Webster also gives the sense of drywall.^[5] Random House dates the word only from 1640–50.^[6]

Timeline

• before 1384 – gypsus (Barnhart).^[3]
• 1387 – the mineral (OED).^[7]
• 1819 – verb, to dress land with gypsum.^[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A common soft white or colorless mineral, hydrated calcium sulfate, used to make plaster of Paris and as a fertilizer.
2. Drywall or plasterboard.

Word family

• gypseous
• gypsiferous

Related words

• gypsophila
• gyp
• plaster of Paris

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. ^ a b c d e Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
4. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b c Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
7. ^ a b c d e Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press