noun
phosphorus
FOS-fuh-ruhs
noun
1
A chemical element (symbol P, atomic number 15) that exists in several forms, some of which glow or ignite easily.
"Phosphorus is a key ingredient in matches and fertilizers."
How to Use Phosphorus
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA chemical element known for glowing or burning easily, essential to living cells and used in fertilizers and matches.
Easily confused with
Word Forms
phosphoruses plural, phosphori plural
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Etymology
Borrowed from Latin phosphorus, from Greek phosphoros, "bearer of light" — originally a name for the morning star, the planet Venus seen before sunrise.