fósforo

See also: fosforo, fòsforo, and fosforò

Galician

Chemical element (edit)
P Atomic number 15 fósforo
Classification data Period 3 Group 15 Block p-block Class nonmetal
Previous: ← silicio (Si)
Next: xofre (S) →

Etymology

Learned borrowing from New Latin phōsphorus, from Ancient Greek φωσφόρος (phōsphóros, “torchbearer, light bearer”), from φῶς (phôs, “light”) + φέρω (phérō, “to carry, bear, bring”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈfɔsfoɾo/ [ˈfɔs̺.fo.ɾo]
• Rhymes: -ɔsfoɾo
• Hyphenation: fós‧fo‧ro

Noun

fósforo m (uncountable)

1. phosphorus
2. match

   Synonyms: misto, lumieira

Portuguese

Chemical element (edit)
P Atomic number 15 fósforo
Classification data Period 3 Group 15 Block p-block Class nonmetal
Previous: ← silício (Si)
Next: enxofre (S) →
Portuguese Wikipedia article on Fósforo

Etymology

Learned borrowing from New Latin phōsphorus, from Ancient Greek φωσφόρος (phōsphóros, “torchbearer, light bearer”), from φῶς (phôs, “light”) + φέρω (phérō, “to carry, to bear, to bring”).

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈfɔs.fo.ɾu/, /ˈfɔs.fu.ɾu/

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈfɔs.fo.ɾu/, /ˈfɔs.fu.ɾu/
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /ˈfɔʃ.fo.ɾu/, /ˈfɔʃ.fu.ɾu/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈfɔʃ.fu.ɾu/

• Hyphenation: fós‧fo‧ro

Noun

fósforo m (plural fósforos)

1. match (device to make fire)

   Synonym: palito de fósforo

2. (chemistry, uncountable) phosphorus
3. an atom of phosphorus

Related terms

• fosfato
• fosfina
• fosforejar
• fosfóreo
• fosforescência
• fosfórico
• fosforoso

Further reading

• “fósforo”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026
• “fósforo”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

Spanish

Chemical element (edit)
P Atomic number 15 fósforo
Classification data Period 3 Group 15 Block p-block Class nonmetal
Previous: ← silicio (Si)
Next: azufre (S) →

Etymology

Learned borrowing from New Latin phōsphorus, from Ancient Greek φωσφόρος (phōsphóros, “torchbearer, light bearer”), from φῶς (phôs, “light”) + φέρω (phérō, “to carry, bear, bring”). Compare Sicilian pòspuru.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈfosfoɾo/ [ˈfos.fo.ɾo]

• Audio (Spain):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -osfoɾo
• Syllabification: fós‧fo‧ro

Noun

fósforo m (plural fósforos)

1. phosphorus
2. match, matchstick

   Synonyms: cerilla, (Mexico) cerillo, (regional, Spain) misto, (regional, Spain) mixto

Derived terms

• fosforecer
• fosforescer
• fosfórico
• fosforito
• fosforoso

Descendants

• → Cebuano: posporo
• → Sambali: posporo
• → Tagalog: posporo

Further reading

• “fósforo”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025