What does "mercury" mean?
A silvery-colored, toxic, metallic chemical element, liquid at room temperature, with atomic number 80 and symbol Hg.
Mercury
/ˈmɝ.kjə.ɹi/ name, noun
name, noun ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A silvery-colored, toxic, metallic chemical element, liquid at room temperature, with atomic number 80 and symbol Hg.
- Grammar: mercury is listed as name, noun.
- Nearest alternatives: hydrargyrum, quicksilver, agdistis, amor.
- Useful contrasts: mortal being, nonmetal, outer planet.
- Usage evidence: We came fearfully close to the Sun's orbit because we launched from the wrong side of Mercury.
How to use "mercury"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "mercury" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "mercury" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "mercury" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "mercury" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "mercury" is acting as name, noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "hydrargyrum" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
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Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "mercury", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A silvery-colored, toxic, metallic chemical element, liquid at room temperature, with atomic number 80 and symbol Hg. countable, literally, uncountable
- 2 Quicksilver, mercury. (No longer capitalized, as the name of the metal is no longer recognized as that of the planet.) obsolete
- 3 temperature measured by a mercury thermometer wordnet
- 4 One of the elemental principles formerly thought to be present in all metals. countable, historical, literally, uncountable
- 5 A carrier of tidings.; A newsboy, a messenger. archaic
Show 10 more definitions
- 6 a heavy silvery toxic univalent and bivalent metallic element; the only metal that is liquid at ordinary temperatures wordnet
- 7 Ambient pressure or temperature (from the use of mercury in barometers and thermometers). countable, literally, uncountable, with-definite-article
"The mercury there has averaged 37.6°C, 2.3°C above the February norm."
- 8 A carrier of tidings.; A footman. archaic
"Enter Mr. Tulkinghorn, followed by Mercuries with lamps and candles."
- 9 Liveliness, volatility. countable, literally, obsolete, uncountable
"He was so full of mercury that he could not fix long in any friendship, or to any design."
- 10 A carrier of tidings.; Someone who carries messages between lovers; a go-between. archaic
"His Mercury having made his observations, reported, that there was no body in the coach but Mrs. Hornbeck and an elderly woman, who had all the air of a duenna, and that the servant was not the same footman who had attended them in France."
- 11 Any of several types of plant.; An annual plant, annual mercury (Mercurialis annua), formerly grown for its medicinal properties; French mercury, herb mercury. countable, uncountable
"Towards the tops of the stalks and branches come forth at every joint in the male Mercury two small round green heads, standing together upon a short footstalk, which growing ripe are the seeds, not having any flower."
- 12 A carrier of tidings.; A newspaper. archaic
"No allusion to it is to be found in the monthly Mercuries."
- 13 Any of several types of plant.; Any plant of any species of the genus and the genus Mercurialis. countable, uncountable
- 14 Any of several types of plant.; A similar edible plant (Blitum bonus-henricus), otherwise known as English mercury or allgood. countable, uncountable
- 15 Any of several types of plant.; The poison oak or poison ivy. US, countable, regional, uncountable
Proper Noun
- 1 The first planet in the Solar system with the closest orbit to the Sun, named after the god; represented by ☿.
"Thou, first of the children of men, art come to Mercury, where thou and I will journey up and down for a season to show thee the lands and oceans, the forests, plains, and ancient mountains, cities and palaces of this world, Mercury, and the doings of them that dwell therein."
- 2 The Roman god associated with speed, sometimes used as a messenger, wearing winged sandals; the Roman counterpart of the Greek god Hermes. Roman
Antonyms
Example
"We came fearfully close to the Sun's orbit because we launched from the wrong side of Mercury."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "mercury"?
Common synonyms include: hydrargyrum, quicksilver, agdistis, amor, antelope, aphrodite.
How do you use "mercury" in a sentence?
We came fearfully close to the Sun's orbit because we launched from the wrong side of Mercury.
How do you pronounce "mercury"?
Pronounced /ˈmɝ.kjə.ɹi/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
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 the Greek hydrargyrus (= liquid silver).
Etymology 2
Inherited from Middle English Mercurie, from Latin Mercurius.