quicksilver
/ˈkwɪkˌsɪlvɚ/ noun, adjective, verb
Forms quicksilvers quicksilvering quicksilvered
- noun The metal mercury.
- noun (loosely) An amalgam of mercury and tin applied to the backs of mirrors; quicksilvering.
- adjective Unpredictable, erratic, or fickle; mercurial.
- verb (transitive) To overlay with quicksilver.
- verb (transitive) To treat with quicksilver.
Synonyms
mercury hydrargyrum Hg atomic number 80 erratic fickle mercurial
Etymology
From Middle English quyk silver, quyksilver, quikselver, from Old English cwicseolfor (“quicksilver”, literally “living silver”) (see Latin argentum vīvum) from its ability to move. See quick in the sense of "living". Cognate with Dutch kwikzilver, German Low German Quicksülver, German Quecksilber, Danish kviksølv, Norwegian Bokmål kvikksølv, Swedish kvicksilver. By surface analysis, quick (“living”) + silver.
Webster’s 1913
- noun The metal mercury; --so called from its resemblance to liquid silver. Quicksilver horizon, a mercurial artificial horizon. See under Horizon.
Etymology [Quick living + silver; -- so called from its fluidity; cf. G. quecksilber, L. argentum vivum. See Quick, a.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “quicksilver”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details