phosphorus
part of speech
noun (phosphorus — uncountable); adjective forms: phosphorous, phosphoric
meaning for a pupil
1) (science) Phosphorus is a chemical element, a non-metal with the symbol P and atomic number 15. tree →
2) It is needed by all living things: it is in our bones, teeth and DNA, and plants need it to grow. tree →
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 →
sense 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 →
- Our bones and teeth contain calcium and phosphorus. tree →
- Farmers add phosphorus to the soil so crops grow well. tree →
- The strip on the side of a matchbox has red phosphorus in it. tree →
- White phosphorus glows faintly in the dark. tree →
- Never touch white phosphorus; it can burn your skin. tree →
- Milk, eggs and fish give us phosphorus. tree →
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.
In the corpora
- Striking a match makes heat by friction; safety matches light only on the box strip, which holds red phosphorus.
- Farmers add nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium to soil as fertiliser to grow more food.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «phosphorus» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.