phosphide

American

[fos-fahyd, -fid] / ˈfɒs faɪd, -fɪd /

noun

Chemistry.

a binary compound of phosphorus with a basic element or group.

phosphide British

/ ˈfɒsfaɪd /

noun

any compound of phosphorus with another element, esp a more electropositive element

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of phosphide

1840–50; phosph- + -ide ( def. )

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

phosphide

But the transition is exposing a new bottleneck: demand for indium phosphide, a material used in laser components, is expected to outstrip supply from 2026, potentially slowing shipments of next-generation products.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026

But the controls covering indium phosphide were never suspended in the first place.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 7, 2026

That puts a dent in its 5,867% gain in the past 12 months, as investors bet on explosive demand for its indium phosphide substrates, used for optical—networking and photonic components within data centers.

From Barron's ● Apr. 21, 2026

The quantity of aluminium phosphide used by Akter was nearly three times the amount recommended by the manufacturer, which said it should be used only in commercial warehouses not homes.

From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2024

By the continued action of dry hydrogen upon the heated compound the iodine and a portion of the phosphorus are removed, and a new phosphide of boron, of the composition B5P3, is obtained.—Nature.

From Scientific American Supplement, No. 841, February 13, 1892 by Various

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023