English
phosphorescent
From phosphorus + -escent.
Formed from phosphorus + -escent
Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- ‘to bear, carry’
…
Ancient Greek φέρω ‘to bring, bear, carry’
Ancient Greek φῶς ‘light’
Ancient Greek φωσφόρος ‘the bearer of light’
Latin phōsphorus
English phosphorus
The story
It's interesting to note that phosphorus is not phosphorescent. Some phosphoric mixtures can be luminescent through chemical reactions, but none exhibit literal phosphorescence.
Today it means
adj 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.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / phosphorescent