white phosphorus
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.25 in modern English
31
Scrabble Score
15
Letters
3
Syllables
10
Unique Chars
Meaning
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.
Uncountable
Example Sentences
- "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."