phosphorescent

English dictionary entry

Meanings

adj
  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.
noun
  1. A phosphorescent substance.

Pronunciation

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-phosphorescent.wav

Word forms

phosphorescent more phosphorescent most phosphorescent phosphorescents

Etymology

From phosphorus + -escent. It's interesting to note that phosphorus is not phosphorescent. Some phosphoric mixtures can be luminescent through chemical reactions, but none exhibit literal phosphorescence.

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