Meanings
- obsoleteuncountablechemistryA poorly-characterized phosphorescent substance obtained by heating calcium chloride.
and Homberg found, that if it (muriate of lime) was urged by a violent heat till it condensed, on cooling, into a vitreous mass, it emitted a phosphoric light upon being struck by any hard body, in which state it was called Homberg's phosphorus
1829, Thomas Curtis, The London encyclopaedia, or, Universal dictionary of science, art, literature, and practical
Origin
Named after its discoverer, the German chemist Wilhelm Homberg.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
Homberg's phosphorus. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Homberg's%20phosphorus
“Homberg's phosphorus.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Homberg's%20phosphorus. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Homberg's phosphorus,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Homberg's%20phosphorus.
Source: Homberg's phosphorus on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.