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Mercury
Definitions
- 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
- 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
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- 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
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 the Greek hydrargyrus (= liquid silver).
Inherited from Middle English Mercurie, from Latin Mercurius.
Inherited from Middle English Mercurie, from Latin Mercurius.
See also for "mercury"
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