any of a number of substances that exhibit luminescence when struck by light of certain wavelengths, as by ultraviolet.
Literary. a phosphorescent substance.
Any of various substances that can emit light after absorbing some form of radiation. Television screens and fluorescent lamp tubes are coated on the inside with phosphors.
See Note at cathode-ray tube
1625–35; < French phosphore < Latin Phōsphorus Phosphor
First recorded in 1625–35; from Latin Phōsphorus, from Greek Phōsphóros “the morning star,” literally, “the light-bringing one,” equivalent to phôs “light” + -phoros “bringing”; see -phorous
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
This performance is 5.6 times as high as that observed in previous studies using the same phosphor.
From Science Daily ● Dec. 2, 2024
When the blue light from the diodes goes through this layer, the phosphor absorbs some of the blue wavelengths and spits out red and yellow ones.
From Scientific American ● Sep. 27, 2023
A byproduct of private and industrial food consumption and processing, sludge and compost can replace some of the nitrogen and phosphor from synthetic fertilizers.
From Salon ● Sep. 29, 2022
For example, he says, CMI developed a red phosphor for fluorescent lighting that does not require rare europium.
From Science Magazine ● Aug. 11, 2021
A shadow fell through the green glow of her forehead phosphor.
From "Ship Breaker" by Paolo Bacigalupi
Furthermore, one of the mobile developers in the Partners programme, Phosphor Games, is creating an action fantasy title named Horn, clearly aimed at the dedicated gaming audience.
From The Guardian ● Aug. 2, 2012
Phosphorus is a constituent of the human brain, and a trenchant German writer has exclaimed, "Ohne Phosphor kein Gedanke!"
From Fragments of science, V. 1-2 by Tyndall, John
Lucifer and Phosphor have been our cats for the last ten years: Lucifer, entirely black, Phosphor, as yellow as saffron, a real golden fleece.
From Concerning Cats My Own and Some Others by Winslow, Helen M.
Phosphorus is known to enter into the composition of the human brain, and a trenchant German writer has exclaimed, “Ohne Phosphor, kein Gedanke.”
From The Voice of Science in Nineteenth-Century Literature Representative Prose and Verse by Various
Phosphor fires edged the keel; a trailing rope was revealed as a luminous streak.
From The Unknown Sea by Housman, Clemence
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
