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phosphorus

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phosphorus¹

  • /ˈfɒs.fə.ɹəs/ UK
  • /ˈfɒs.fɹəs/ UK
  • /ˈfɑs.fɚ.əs/ US

Sounds like phosphorous, Phosphorus

Where it comes from

Borrowed from Latin phōsphorus, from Ancient Greek φωσφόρος (phōsphóros, “the bearer of light”), from φῶς (phôs, “light”) + φέρω (phérō, “to bear, carry”).

noun phosphoruses · phosphori

  1. countable, uncountable A chemical element (symbol P) with an atomic number of 15, that exists in several allotropic forms. For quotations using this term, see Citations:phosphorus.
  2. countable An atom of this element.
  3. countable, obsolete, uncountable Any substance exhibiting phosphorescence; a phosphor. For quotations using this term, see Citations:phosphorus.

Phosphorus²

  • /ˈfɒsfərəs/ UK
  • /ˈfɑsfɚəs/ US

Sounds like phosphorous, phosphorus

Where it comes from

From Latinised Greek Phosphorus, from Ancient Greek Φωσφόρος (Phōsphóros, “the bearer of light”), from φῶς (phôs, “light”) + φέρω (phérō, “to bear, carry”).

proper noun Phosphor

  1. A name sometimes used for Hesperus, the personification in Greek mythology of the planet Venus.

    Similar: Hesperus

  2. An Ancient Greek name for the morning star (the planet Venus when it is visible in the eastern sky before sunrise). Near-synonyms: evening star, evenstar, Hesperus, Vesper, Venus

    Similar: morning star, Eosphorus, Lucifer, evening star, evenstar, Hesperus, Vesper, Venus

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: p, oxychloride, phosphate, tribromide, trichloride, pentoxide, pentachloride, phosphorous, phosphoric, phosphatic, nutrient, phosphor, match, morningstar, tetraphosphorus, lucifer

Translations

Every language

noun element

Españolfósforo
한국어인 in, 인소 inso
日本語リン rin, 燐 rin
中文磷 lìn
हिन्दीभास्वर bhāsvar
Kiswahilifosforasi
Portuguêsfósforo
Françaisphosphore
DeutschPhosphor
Italianofosforo
Ελληνικάφώσφορος fósforos
Românăfosfor
Русскийфо́сфор fósfor
Tiếng Việtphotpho, phốtpho
العربيةفُسْفُور fusfūr
עבריתזרחן zarkhan

name an ancient Greek name for the morning star

한국어샛별 saetbyeol
ItalianoVenere

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MLA

"phosphorus." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/phosphorus. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

phosphorus. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/phosphorus

Chicago

"phosphorus." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/phosphorus.

BibTeX
@misc{phosphorus_2026,
  title = {phosphorus},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/phosphorus},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}