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phosphorescent

/ˌfɑsfəˈrɛsənt/
IPA guide

Other forms: phosphorescently

Anything phosphorescent emits light but not much heat. Phosphorescent things glow in the dark.

Have you ever seen a lightning bug? They're a lot easier to spot at night, because they glow, giving off light and looking like flying, dancing night lights. The word for creatures and things like lightning bugs is phosphorescent. Phosphorescent things give off hardly any heat, but they radiate light. Glow-in-the-dark toys are phosphorescent. It can help you remember this word if you know that phosphorus is a substance that emits light, so anything that does so is phosphorescent.

Definitions of phosphorescent
  1. adjective
    emitting light without appreciable heat as by slow oxidation of phosphorous
    “the phosphorescent glow of decaying wood”
    synonyms:
    light
    characterized by or emitting light
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