Dictionary.com

phosphorous

[ fos-fer-uhs, fos-fawr-uhs, -fohr- ]
/ ˈfɒs fər əs, fɒsˈfɔr əs, -ˈfoʊr- /

adjective Chemistry.

containing trivalent phosphorus.

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Origin of phosphorous

First recorded in 1770–80; phosphor- + -ous

OTHER WORDS FROM phosphorous

non·phos·pho·rous, adjective

Words nearby phosphorous

phosphorite, phosphorize, phosphoro-, phosphorolysis, phosphoroscope, phosphorous, phosphorous acid, phosphorus, phosphorus 32, phosphorus pentoxide, phosphorus sesquisulfide
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for phosphorous

British Dictionary definitions for phosphorous

phosphorous
/ (ˈfɒsfərəs) /

adjective

of or containing phosphorus in the trivalent state
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

Medical definitions for phosphorous

phosphorous
[ fŏs′fər-əs, fŏs-fôr′əs ]

adj.

Of, relating to, or containing phosphorus, especially with a valence of 3 or a valence lower than that of a comparable phosphoric compound.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.