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# phosphorus

noun (phosphorus — uncountable); adjective forms: phosphorous, phosphoric

«phosphorus» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. (science) Phosphorus is a chemical element, a non-metal with the symbol P and atomic number 15. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/phosphorus/#m1)
2. It is needed by all living things: it is in our bones, teeth and DNA, and plants need it to grow. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/phosphorus/#m2)
3. Pure white phosphorus glows in the dark and catches fire by itself in air, so it is very dangerous; red phosphorus is safer and is used on matchboxes. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/phosphorus/#m3)

### In the lessons

In science it appears in the periodic table, in lessons on bones and healthy food (milk, fish, nuts) and in plant fertiliser (N-P-K: nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium). In history and safety, white phosphorus is a dangerous chemical used in some weapons. The word comes from Greek for "light-bringer" because it glows.

### Examples

- Phosphorus is element number 15 in the periodic table. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/phosphorus/#x1)
- Our bones and teeth contain calcium and phosphorus. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/phosphorus/#x2)
- Farmers add phosphorus to the soil so crops grow well. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/phosphorus/#x3)
- The strip on the side of a matchbox has red phosphorus in it. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/phosphorus/#x4)
- White phosphorus glows faintly in the dark. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/phosphorus/#x5)
- Never touch white phosphorus; it can burn your skin. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/phosphorus/#x6)
- Milk, eggs and fish give us phosphorus. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/phosphorus/#x7)

### Note

Uncountable: say "some phosphorus", not "a phosphorus". Spelling trap: the noun ends -us (phosphorus); "phosphorous" with -ous is an adjective. Glow-in-the-dark toys usually do not contain phosphorus — they use other materials called phosphors. Symbol P, not Ph.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «phosphorus» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/phosphorus/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«phosphorus» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/phosphorus.html) on Mova free.