phosphorous

[ fos-fer-uh s, fos-fawr-uh s, -fohr- ]

/ ˈfɒs fər əs, fɒsˈfɔr əs, -ˈfoʊr- /

adjective Chemistry.

containing trivalent phosphorus.

Nearby words

Origin of phosphorous

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

Related formsnon·phos·pho·rous, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for phosphorous

Chemical weapons are worse than phosphorous bombs, presumably, but mainly to bystanders.
The Obama Doctrine on Syria: Re-Opening the Diplomatic Window|Bernard Avishai|September 3, 2013|DAILY BEAST
They had rubbed some of that phosphorous mineral on their backs.
The Moon Colony|William Dixon Bell
Provided free phosphorus has not been detected, it is necessary to search for phosphorous acid.
Legal Chemistry|A. Naquet
He had been brilliant to me before that, but the brilliance of phosphorous compared to sunlight now.
The Hive|Will Levington Comfort

By the combustion of the mixture, sulphurous, carbonic, phosphorous acids and water are formed.
Legal Chemistry|A. Naquet
The most interesting of them is the oxytrichloride, which corresponds to the phosphorous oxychloride.
Cooley's Practical Receipts, Volume II|Arnold Cooley

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

Word Origin and History for phosphorous

phosphorous

adj.

1777, "phosphorescent," from phosphorus + -ous. The chemical sense (1794) is immediately from French phosphoreux.

Medicine 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.