phosphorescent

Meanings

Adjective

• Having the property of emitting light for a period of time after the source of excitation is taken away, e.g., in electrostatic storage tubes and cathode-ray tubes.

Noun

• A phosphorescent substance.

Origin

• From phosphorus + -escent.
  
• It's interesting to note that phosphorus is not phosphorescent. Some phosphoric mixtures can be luminescent through chemical reactions, but none exhibit literal phosphorescence.