cast / plaster
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cast
A hard bandage made of plaster bandages that is applied to immobilize broken bones or injured joints.
Nach seinem Skiunfall musste er sechs Wochen lang einen Gips am Bein tragen.
After his skiing accident, he had to wear a cast on his leg for six weeks.
plaster
A mineral (calcium sulfate) that comes as a white powder and is used as a building material, for example for walls or stucco work.
Der Handwerker verputzte die Wand mit einer Schicht aus Gips.
The craftsman plastered the wall with a layer of plaster.
You can tell from context whether the medical cast or the building material is meant. Verbs like 'tragen' (to wear), 'bekommen' (to get), or body parts point to the cast. Words like 'Wand' (wall), 'verputzen' (to plaster), or 'bauen' (to build) indicate the material.
Mein Bruder hat den Arm in Gips.
My brother has his arm in a cast.
In a medical context, there are fixed expressions. You say 'einen Gips tragen' (to wear a cast), 'einen Gips bekommen' (to get a cast), or 'den Gips abnehmen' (to remove the cast). The phrase 'den Arm/das Bein im Gips haben' (to have one's arm/leg in a cast) is also very common.
Wie lange musst du den Gips noch tragen?
How much longer do you have to wear the cast?
When 'Gips' (plaster) refers to the building material, it is usually used as an uncountable noun. It then often appears without an article or with quantity expressions like 'etwas' (some), 'viel' (a lot of), or 'ein Sack' (a bag/sack).
Mische den Gips mit Wasser an.
Mix the plaster with water.
association / bandage
Verband and Gips can both refer to medical treatment after an injury. A Gips is a hard cast used to immobilize a broken bone or injured joint, while Verband more generally refers to covering and protecting a wound. Gips is the appropriate word for a fracture; Verband is usually used for a wound.
Nach dem Bruch bekam der Junge einen Gips für seinen Arm.
After the fracture, the boy got a cast for his arm.
Nach der Verletzung legte die Ärztin einen Verband auf die offene Wunde.
After the injury, the doctor put a bandage over the open wound.
