What does "phosphor" mean?

Any of various compounds of transition metals or of rare earths that exhibit phosphorescence.

Phosphor

Q: What is a synonym for "phosphor"?

Common synonyms include: aldebaran, autoluminescence, bioluminescence, candle fly, canicula, cathode luminescence.

//ˈfɒsfə// name, noun

name, noun ·Moderate ·College level

Definitions

Noun

1
Any of various compounds of transition metals or of rare earths that exhibit phosphorescence. countable, uncountable
2
a synthetic substance that is fluorescent or phosphorescent; used to coat the screens of cathode ray tubes wordnet
3
Phosphorus. countable, obsolete, uncountable
4
The planet Venus, when appearing as a morning star countable, obsolete, proper-noun, uncountable

Proper Noun

1
Alternative spelling of Phosphorus (“the planet Venus, as the morning star”). alt-of, alternative
"All night no ruder air perplex ⁠Thy sliding keel, till Phosphor, bright ⁠As our pure love, thro’ early light Shall glimmer on the dewy decks."

Synonyms

All synonyms

aldebaran autoluminescence bioluminescence candle fly canicula cathode luminescence

Example

More examples

"A CRT display is composed of numerous groups of red, green, and blue colored phosphor dots, known as triads, which are excited by precisely controlled electron beams."

Etymology

From Medieval Latin phosphorus.

More for "phosphor"

Synonyms Sentences Pronunciation Translate

Next best steps

Find stronger synonyms See usage examples Check pronunciation Browse writing guides

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.