Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

canton's phosphorus

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.55 in modern English

Syllables: can-ton's phos-pho-rus
IPA

29

Scrabble Score

17

Letters

4

Syllables

10

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A poorly-characterized phosphorescent substance obtained by calcining oyster-shells and sulfur.

Obsolete; Uncountable

Example Sentences

"Canton's phosphorus is made by calcining oyster-shells in the open fire for half an hour; after which, the whitest and largest pieces are selected, mixed with about one-third their weight of flowers of sulphur, pressed into a crucible with a closely-luted cover, and heated red hot for an hour."

Etymology

Named after John Canton, British physicist.

Usage

Questions

What does canton's phosphorus mean?: A poorly-characterized phosphorescent substance obtained by calcining oyster-shells and sulfur.
Where does canton's phosphorus come from?: Named after John Canton, British physicist.

How to pronounce canton's phosphorus

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