noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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Received-Pronunciation:/ˌfɒs.fəˈɹɛs.əns/
General-American:/ˌfɑs.fəˈɹɛs.əns/
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
UK:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
homophone: phosphorescents
CMU ARPABET:F AA2 S F ER0 EH1 S AH0 N S
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
The emission of light without any perceptible heat; the quality of being phosphorescent.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
a fluorescence that persists after the bombarding radiation has ceased
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: fluorescence
History
Etymology
From phosphorescent. Morphologically phosphoresce + -ence.
Across languages
Translations
32 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Bengali:
অনুপ্রভা
(onuprobha)
— emission of light without heat
Bulgarian:
фосфоресценция
(fosforescencija)
— emission of light without heat
Catalan:
fosforescència
— emission of light without heat
Chinese Mandarin:
磷光
(línguāng)
— emission of light without heat
Esperanto:
fosforesko
— emission of light without heat
Finnish:
fosforesenssi
— emission of light without heat
French:
phosphorescence
— emission of light without heat
Galician:
fosforescencia
— emission of light without heat
German:
Nachleuchten
— emission of light without heat
German:
Phosphoreszenz
— emission of light without heat
Greek:
φωσφορισμός
(fosforismós)
— emission of light without heat
Irish:
méarnáil
— emission of light without heat
Irish:
gealán
— emission of light without heat
Irish:
tine ghealáin
— emission of light without heat
Italian:
fosforescenza
— emission of light without heat
Japanese:
燐光
(rinkō)
— emission of light without heat
Korean:
인광
(in'gwang)
— emission of light without heat
Māori:
porotitiwai
— emission of light without heat
Māori:
pūrātoke
— emission of light without heat
Māori:
hīnātore
— emission of light without heat
Norwegian Bokmål:
fosforescens
— emission of light without heat
Norwegian Nynorsk:
fosforescens
— emission of light without heat
Occitan:
fosforescéncia
— emission of light without heat
Polish:
fosforescencja
— emission of light without heat
Portuguese:
fosforescência
— emission of light without heat
Russian:
фосфоресценция
(fosforescencija)
— emission of light without heat
Spanish:
fosforescencia
— emission of light without heat
Swedish:
fosforescens
— emission of light without heat
Swedish:
fosforsken
— emission of light without heat
Tagalog:
pospowanag
— emission of light without heat
Vietnamese:
lân quang
— emission of light without heat
Welsh:
ffosfforedd
— emission of light without heat
