phosphorescent
English
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.[1]
Adjective
phosphorescent (comparative more phosphorescent, superlative most phosphorescent)
- 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.
- 1966 [1961], William S. Burroughs, The Soft Machine (The Nova Trilogy), New York: Grove Press, 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
Related terms
Translations
emitting light for a period of time after the source of excitation is taken away
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References
- John Emsley, The Shocking History of Phosphorus, →ISBN.
French
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /fɔs.fɔ.ʁɛ.sɑ̃/, /fɔs.fɔ.ʁe.sɑ̃/
- Rhymes: -ɛsənt
Adjective
phosphorescent (feminine phosphorescente, masculine plural phosphorescents, feminine plural phosphorescentes)
See also
Further reading
- “phosphorescent”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
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