■ noun
1》 a soft mixture of lime with sand or cement and water for spreading on walls and ceilings to form a smooth hard surface when dried.
2》 (also ~ of Paris ) a hard white substance made by the addition of water to powdered gypsum, used for holding broken bones in place and making sculptures and casts.
3》 (also sticking ~ ) Brit. an adhesive strip of material for covering cuts and wounds.
↘ dated a bandage on which a poultice is spread for application.
■ verb
1》 cover with ~; apply ~ to.
2》 coat or cover all over with something, especially to an excessive extent: a face ~ed in heavy make-up.
↘display widely and conspicuously: her story was ~ed all over the papers.
3》 apply a ~ cast to.
4》 informal, dated bomb or shell (a target) heavily.
Derivatives
~er noun
~y adjective
Origin
OE, denoting a bandage spread with a curative substance, from med. L. plastrum , from Gk emplastron 'daub, salve'.