phosphorate

American

[fos-fuh-reyt] / ˈfɒs fəˌreɪt /

verb (used with object)

phosphorated, phosphorating

Chemistry. Also to combine or impregnate with phosphorus.
to cause to have phosphorescence.

phosphorate British

/ ˈfɒsfəˌreɪt /

verb

to treat or combine with phosphorus
rare (tr) to cause (a substance) to exhibit phosphorescence

"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 phosphorate

1780–90; phosphor- or phosphor + -ate ¹

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.

On the heath, glow-worms glimmer; on the moss, phosphorate toadstools, under whose canopies tiny elfs watch the gambols.

From Project Gutenberg

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