different between phosphorescent vs phosphorus

English

Etymology

From phosphorus + -escent. It's interesting to note that technically phosphorus is not phosphorescent. Phosphorus is luminescent, it gives off light from a chemical reaction, as opposed to re-emission of absorbed energy (phosphorescence). (Reference: John Emsley, The Shocking History of Phosphorus, ?ISBN.)

Adjective

phosphorescent (comparative more phosphorescent, superlative most phosphorescent)

1. Having the property of emitting light for a period of time after the source of excitation is taken away, e.g., in electrostatic storage tubes and cathode-ray tubes.
   • 1961, William S. Burroughs, The Soft Machine, page 11

     So he imports this special breed of scorpions and feeds them on metal meal and the scorpions turned a phosphorescent blue color and sort of hummed.

Derived terms

• phosphorescence
• phosphorescently

Related terms

• phosphor
• phosphoresce
• phosphoroscope

Translations

Noun

phosphorescent (plural phosphorescents)

1. A phosphorescent substance.

French

Etymology

From phosphore.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /f?s.f?.?e.s??/

Adjective

phosphorescent (feminine singular phosphorescente, masculine plural phosphorescents, feminine plural phosphorescentes)

1. phosphorescent

Further reading

• “phosphorescent” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin ph?sphorus, from Ancient Greek ???????? (ph?sphóros, “the bearer of light”), from ??? (phôs, “light”) + ???? (phér?, “to bear, carry”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: f?s?f?r?s, f?s?fr?s, IPA^(key): /?f?sf???s/, /?f?sf??s/
• (US) enPR: fäs?f?r?s, IPA^(key): /?f?sf??s/
• Homophones: phosphorous, Phosphorus

Noun

phosphorus (countable and uncountable, plural phosphoruses or phosphori)

2. (chemistry) a chemical element (symbol P) with an atomic number of 15, that exists in several allotropic forms.
3. (obsolete) any substance exhibiting phosphorescence; a phosphor

Usage notes

• Do not confuse phosphorus with phosphorous, which is an adjective.

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

See also

• ADP
• AMP
• ATP
• bone-ash
• smoking stool syndrome

Latin

Etymology

From Ancient Greek ???????? (ph?sphóros, “light-bearing”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /?p?o?s.p?o.rus/, [?p?o?s?p????s?]
• (Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /?fos.fo.rus/, [?f?sf??us]

Noun

ph?sphorus m (genitive ph?sphor?); second declension

1. (New Latin, chemistry) phosphorus

Declension

Second-declension noun.

Descendants

• Italian: fosforo
• Sicilian: pòspuru