phosphorescent
adjective, noun
Forms phosphorescents
- adjective 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.
Synonyms
Etymology
It's interesting to note that phosphorus is not phosphorescent. Some phosphoric mixtures can be luminescent through chemical reactions, but none exhibit literal phosphorescence.
Webster’s 1913
- adjective Shining with a phosphoric light; luminous without sensible heat.
- adjective A phosphorescent substance.
Etymology [Cf. F. phosphorescent.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “phosphorescent”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details