Phosphorescent

Origin

From phosphorus + -escent. It's interesting to note that technically phosphorus is not phosphorescent. Phosphorus is luminescent, it gives off light from a chemical reaction, as opposed to re-emission of absorbed energy (phosphorescence). (Reference: John Emsley, The Shocking History of Phosphorus, ISBN 0-330-39005-8.)

Full definition of phosphorescent

Adjective

1. Having the property of emitting light for a period of time after the source of excitation is taken away, e.g., in electrostatic storage tubes and cathode-ray tubes.
• 1961, William S. Burroughs, The Soft Machine, page 11So he imports this special breed of scorpions and feeds them on metal meal and the scorpions turned a phosphorescent blue color and sort of hummed.

Derived terms

• phosphorescence
• phosphorescently

Related terms

• phosphor
• phosphoresce
• phosphoroscope

Noun

1. A phosphorescent substance.----