Resembling phosphorus.
Used in a Sentence
phosphorous
Definitions, parts of speech, synonyms, and sentence examples for phosphorous.
Editorial note
Bullseye hit on a pet peeve of many years: the confusion between phosphorus (a noun) and phosphorous (an adjective).
Examples17
Definitions4
Parts of speech2
Quick take
Resembling phosphorus.
Meaning at a glance
The clearest senses and uses of phosphorous gathered in one view.
(chemistry) Of or pertaining to phosphorus.
(chemistry) Of, relating to, or containing trivalent phosphorus.
Definitions
Core meanings and parts of speech for phosphorous.
adjective
Resembling phosphorus.
adjective
(chemistry) Of or pertaining to phosphorus.
adjective
(chemistry) Of, relating to, or containing trivalent phosphorus.
noun
(proscribed) Misspelling of phosphorus. [(chemistry) A chemical element (symbol P) with an atomic number of 15, that exists in several allotropic forms.]
Example sentences
Bullseye hit on a pet peeve of many years: the confusion between phosphorus (a noun) and phosphorous (an adjective).
For example, pure silicon is non-conductive, but when you add slight boron or phosphorous impurities it becomes a semiconductor.
Pet peeve: authors who cannot tell the difference between the noun 'phosphorus' and the adjective 'phosphorous'.
Or even just phosphorous-coated pinheads (not the matchstick kind; the CRT kind) with an infrared lamp or blacklight on the other wall?
That doesn't mean we should not outlaw certain types of weapon (white phosphorous is an excellent sample for that, but drones would qualify as well imo).
And think of all the lost phosphorous, for Ford's sake.
The chemical compounds, for instance, are phosphorous this or that.
That's true of phosphorous acid (where the name distinguishes it from phosphoric acid), but otherwise English chemical names use the noun form of the positive ion (e.g.
Also, why bother when we have flash-bang grenades, sonic weapons, and white phosphorous.
I doubt we are going to run out of either phosphorous or boron.
The company has developed a wavelength conversion system that uses phosphorous to convert blue photons, which are the most efficient type of photon, into any other color photon.
Governments and organisations around the world have, for a very long time, tried to stop algal blooms from strangling rivers by reducing phosphorous pollution, believing the algal feed off this nutrient boost.
Quote examples
It's not as if anyone is confused by the use of the incorrect word "phosphorous".
My money is on something like "peak phosphorous for fertilizer production for cereal grains causes supply chain shock leading to self destruction"
> It's not as if anyone is confused by the use of the incorrect word "phosphorous".
Context: "The company has developed a wavelength conversion system that uses phosphorous to convert blue photons, which are the most efficient type of photon, into any other color photon."
Proper noun examples
Phosphorous incendiaries were used as in Dresden.
Frequently asked questions
Short answers drawn from the clearest meanings and examples for this word.
How do you use phosphorous in a sentence?
Bullseye hit on a pet peeve of many years: the confusion between phosphorus (a noun) and phosphorous (an adjective).
What does phosphorous mean?
Resembling phosphorus.
What part of speech is phosphorous?
phosphorous is commonly used as adjective, noun.