mercury

English Online Dictionary. What means mercury‎? What does mercury mean?

English

Alternative forms

• mercurie (obsolete)
• ☿ (alchemy)

Etymology

From Middle English mercurie, borrowed from Latin Mercurius. The chemical name comes from the planet Mercury. In medieval alchemy, the seven known metals—quicksilver, gold, silver, copper, iron, lead, and tin—were associated with the seven planets. Quicksilver was associated with the fastest planet, named after the Roman god Mercury, associated with speed and mobility. The astrological symbol for the planet became one of the alchemical symbols for the metal, and Mercury became an alternative name for the metal. Mercury is the only metal for which the alchemical planetary name survives, as it was decided it was preferable to quicksilver as a chemical name.

The chemical symbol Hg came from Latin hydrargyrus.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈmɜː(ɹ)kjʊɹi/
• (US) enPR: mûr'kūrē, IPA^(key): /ˈmɝkjəɹi/, /ˈmɝk(ə)ɹi/

Noun

mercury (countable and uncountable, plural mercuries)

1. (literally)
   2. A silvery-colored, toxic, metallic chemical element, liquid at room temperature, with atomic number 80 and symbol Hg. [from 14th c.]

      Synonyms: (in alchemy) azoth, (in medical and sometimes chemical use) hydrargyrum, (not in technical use) quicksilver

   3. (sciences, historical) One of the elemental principles formerly thought to be present in all metals. [from 15th c.]
   4. (with definite article) Ambient pressure or temperature (from the use of mercury in barometers and thermometers). [from 17th c.]
   5. (obsolete) Liveliness, volatility. [17th–18th c.]
2. Any of several types of plant.
   2. An annual plant, annual mercury (Mercurialis annua), formerly grown for its medicinal properties; French mercury, herb mercury. [from 14th c.]

      Synonym: mercurial
   3. Any plant of any species of the genus and the genus Mercurialis.
   4. A similar edible plant (Blitum bonus-henricus), otherwise known as English mercury or allgood. [from 15th c.]
   5. (US, regional) The poison oak or poison ivy. [from 18th c.]

Derived terms

Related terms

• mercaptan
• Mercury

Translations

See also

References

• “mercury”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.

Further reading

• David Barthelmy (1997–2025) “Mercury”, in Webmineral Mineralogy Database.
• “mercury”, in Mindat.org‎^[2], Hudson Institute of Mineralogy, 2000–2025.

Middle English

Noun

mercury

1. Alternative form of mercurie