white phosphorus

noun

The most common allotrope of phosphorus; a yellow-white waxy solid that is insoluble in water and spontaneously combusts on exposure to air to form clouds of phosphorus pentoxide; used as a military smokescreen and as an incendiary weapon.

Similar
icy noctilucayellow phosphorus
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Meanings

nounwhite phosphorus (uncountable)
  1. uncountablechemistryThe most common allotrope of phosphorus; a yellow-white waxy solid that is insoluble in water and spontaneously combusts on exposure to air to form clouds of phosphorus pentoxide; used as a military smokescreen and as an incendiary weapon.

    The IDF spokesperson provided no comment on whether it had halted the practice, or the reported use of white phosphorus in Gaza, a densely populated area and home to more than 2 million people.

    2023 October 9, Ruth Michaelson, Ben Doherty, “Israel ‘going on the offensive’ after retaking territories overrun by Hamas”, in The Guardian, →ISSN

    Synonyms: icy noctiluca, yellow phosphorus

Synonyms & antonyms

nounThe most common allotrope of phosphorus; a yellow-white waxy solid that is insoluble in water and spontaneously combusts on exposure to air to form clouds of phosphorus pentoxide; used as a military smokescreen and as an incendiary weapon.

Similar
icy noctilucayellow phosphorus
Also see
yellow phosphorus

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 白磷, 黃磷 /黄磷
  • 白磷 (báilín)most common allotrope of phosphorus
  • 黃磷 /黄磷 (huánglín)most common allotrope of phosphorus
Czech bílý fosfor
  • bílý fosformost common allotrope of phosphorus
Dutch witte fosfor
  • witte fosformost common allotrope of phosphorus
Finnish valkoinen fosfori
  • valkoinen fosforimost common allotrope of phosphorus
German weißer Phosphor
  • weißer Phosphormost common allotrope of phosphorus
Lithuanian baltasis fosforas
  • baltasis fosforasmost common allotrope of phosphorus
Russian бе́лый фо́сфор
  • бе́лый фо́сфор (bélyj fósfor)most common allotrope of phosphorus
Swedish vit fosfor
  • vit fosformost common allotrope of phosphorus
Ukrainian бі́лий фо́сфор
  • бі́лий фо́сфор (bílyj fósfor)most common allotrope of phosphorus
Welsh ffosfforws gwyn
  • ffosfforws gwynmost common allotrope of phosphorus
Cite this entry
APA

white phosphorus. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/white%20phosphorus

MLA

“white phosphorus.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/white%20phosphorus. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “white phosphorus,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/white%20phosphorus.

Source: white phosphorus on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.