Phosphorescing

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. The phenomenon involves materials converting absorbed energy into visible light, continuing to glow in the dark without generating heat
2. This process describes the emission of light from a substance after exposure to a radiation source, persisting even once the source is gone
3. The occurrence describes materials emitting light as they transition from an excited state back to a ground state, retaining luminescence even in the absence of an energy source

Etymology: "Phosphorescing" is the present participle of "phosphoresce," so it is the form of that verb rather than a word with its own history. The verb is built from "phosphor," a name that goes back to Greek "phōsphoros," meaning "light-bringer," from "phōs" (light) and "pherein" (to bring). The Greeks used that name for the morning star, the planet Venus as it rises before dawn. The "-esce" ending, from Latin, means "beginning to" or "becoming," so "phosphoresce" describes beginning to give off light. The verb was first coined around 1794, which means the glow it names was described in English long after the ancient name for the morning star had passed into the language.

Synonyms: glowing, luminous, radiant

Antonyms: dark, dim, unlit