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phosphorus

Etymology and origin of the English word phosphorus

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈfɒs.fə.ɹəs/, /ˈfɒs.fɹəs/[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from New Latin phosphorus,[2][3][4][5] a special use of Latin Phōsphorus (“the morning star”),[6][2][3][5] from Ancient Greek Φωσφόρος (Phōsphóros, “morning star, literally light-bringer”),[6][2][3][4] from Ancient Greek φῶς (phôs, “light”) + -φόρος (-phóros, “bearing”).[6][2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The morning star (1629 in the OED; 1620 in Etymonline).[7][3][2]

Semantic evolution

From 1645 the word meant any substance or organism that shines of itself, a phosphorescent body.[7][2][3][4] The element was discovered in 1669 by Henning Brand of Hamburg, who obtained it from urine,[3][2] and the name was applied to it from 1680,[7][2][3] at first as one of several substances so called and exclusively from about 1750.[3] Lavoisier showed it to be an element in 1777.[3] Phosphorus (noun) should not be confused with the adjective phosphorous.[1]

Timeline

  • 1620s – the morning star.[3][7][2]
  • 1645 – a phosphorescent substance.[7][2][4]
  • 1669 – the element discovered by Brand.[3][2]
  • 1680 – the chemical element.[7][2][3]
  • c. 1750 – used only of the element.[3]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A highly reactive, poisonous non-metallic chemical element (symbol P, atomic number 15), occurring in white, red and black forms, essential to living things and used in matches and fertilizers.
  2. A phosphorescent substance, one that glows in the dark; a phosphor.
  3. (Phosphorus) The morning star.

Word family

  • phosphorate
  • phosphoresce
  • phosphate
  • phosphor
  • phosphorescence
  • phosphorescent
  • phosphoric
  • phosphorous
  • Lucifer
  • photo-

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ a b Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  6. ^ a b c The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  7. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Phosphorus.” Etymologically, 11 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/phosphorus. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·