Definition of MERCURY

mercury

Plural: mercuries

Noun

  • a heavy silvery toxic univalent and bivalent metallic element; the only metal that is liquid at ordinary temperatures
  • (Roman mythology) messenger of Jupiter and god of commerce; counterpart of Greek Hermes
  • the smallest planet and the nearest to the sun
  • temperature measured by a mercury thermometer
    • "the mercury was falling rapidly"
  • A silvery-colored, toxic, metallic chemical element, liquid at room temperature, with atomic number 80 and symbol Hg.
  • One of the elemental principles formerly thought to be present in all metals.
  • Ambient pressure or temperature (from the use of mercury in barometers and thermometers).
  • Liveliness, volatility.
  • Any of several types of plant.
  • An annual plant, annual mercury (Mercurialis annua), formerly grown for its medicinal properties; French mercury, herb mercury.
  • Any of several types of plant.
  • Any plant of any species of the genus and the genus Mercurialis.
  • Any of several types of plant.
  • A similar edible plant (Blitum bonus-henricus), otherwise known as English mercury or allgood.
  • Any of several types of plant.
  • The poison oak or poison ivy.

Examples

  • "The mercury there has averaged 37.6°C, 2.3°C above the February norm."

Origin / 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).

Synonyms

atomic number 80, azoth, Hg, hydrargyrum, mercurial, quicksilver

Scrabble Score: 14

mercury is a valid Scrabble (US) TWL word
mercury is a valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
mercury is a valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 16

mercury is a valid Words With Friends word