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Added 9 October 2026

phosphorescent

adjective

adjective Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). More about phosphorescent at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

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.

noun

A phosphorescent substance.

Origin

From phosphorus + -escent. It's interesting to note that phosphorus is not phosphorescent. Some phosphoric mixtures can be luminescent through chemical reactions, but none exhibit literal phosphorescence.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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