Meanings
nounphossy jaw (uncountable)
- uncountableA disease resulting from exposure to white phosphorus causing degeneration of the teeth and jaw.
“We thought she would escape phossy jaw. But it got her, yes, it got her, and she died a terrible death.”
2005, Jennifer Worth, Shadows of the Workhouse, Weidenfeld & Nicholson (2009), page 143Synonyms: phosphorus necrosis of the jaw
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA disease resulting from exposure to white phosphorus causing degeneration of the teeth and jaw.
Similar
phosphorus necrosis of the jaw
Cite this entry
APA
phossy jaw. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/phossy%20jaw
MLA
“phossy jaw.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/phossy%20jaw. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “phossy jaw,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/phossy%20jaw.
Source: phossy jaw on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.