GNU Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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1.       
   Phosphor (fŏsˈfôr or fŏsˈfŏr), n. [Cf. G. phosphor. See Phosphorus.]
   1. Phosphorus. [Obs.]  Addison.
   
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   2. The planet Venus, when appearing as the morning star; Lucifer. [Poetic and Rare]  Pope.  Tennyson.
   
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   3. A phosphorescent substance. [archaic]
   
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   4. A substance capable of exhibiting luminescence.  This term is now most commonly used to refer to substances used in fluorescent lights, image intensifiers, or cathode-ray tubes (CRT's), which luminesce when excited by ultraviolet radiation or an electron beam.  In color CRT's, three different phosphors, each giving different colors when excited, are used.
   
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