alabaster

The story

1. Egyptian · derived fromꜥj
2. Ancient Greek · derived fromἀλάβαστρος
3. Latin · derived fromalabaster“box for perfumes or unguents”
4. Old French · derived fromalabastre
5. Middle English · inherited fromalabastre
6. English todayalabaster

From Middle English alabastre, from Old French alabastre, from Latin alabaster (“box for perfumes or unguents”), from Ancient Greek ἀλάβαστρος (alábastros), from earlier ἀλάβαστος (alábastos, “vase without handles for storing perfumes”). This may further derive from Egyptian ꜥj-r-bꜣstjt (“vessel of the Egyptian goddess Bast”). The Latin suffix -aster is unrelated, but may have influenced the spelling of the borrowing from Ancient Greek (whence a direct loan could have been rendered as *alabastrus).