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Webster 1913 Edition

Mercury

Mer′cu-ry

,
Noun.
[L.
Mercurius
; akin to
merx
wares.]
1.
(Rom. Myth.)
A Latin god of commerce and gain; – treated by the poets as identical with the Greek
Hermes
, messenger of the gods, conductor of souls to the lower world, and god of eloquence.
2.
(Chem.)
A metallic element mostly obtained by reduction from cinnabar, one of its ores. It is a heavy, opaque, glistening liquid (commonly called
quicksilver
), and is used in barometers, thermometers, etc. Specific gravity 13.6. Symbol Hg (Hydrargyrum). Atomic weight 199.8. Mercury has a molecule which consists of only one atom. It was named by the alchemists after the god Mercury, and designated by his symbol, ☿.
☞ Mercury forms alloys, called amalgams, with many metals, and is thus used in applying tin foil to the backs of mirrors, and in extracting gold and silver from their ores. It is poisonous, and is used in medicine in the free state as in blue pill, and in its compounds as calomel, corrosive sublimate, etc. It is the only metal which is liquid at ordinary temperatures, and it solidifies at about -39° Centigrade to a soft, malleable, ductile metal.
3.
(Astron.)
One of the planets of the solar system, being the one nearest the sun, from which its mean distance is about 36,000,000 miles. Its period is 88 days, and its diameter 3,000 miles.
4.
A carrier of tidings; a newsboy; a messenger; hence, also, a newspaper.
Sir J. Stephen.
“The monthly Mercuries.”
Macaulay.
5.
Sprightly or mercurial quality; spirit; mutability; fickleness.
[Obs.]
He was so full of
mercury
that he could not fix long in any friendship, or to any design.
Bp. Burnet.
6.
(Bot.)
A plant (
Mercurialis annua
), of the Spurge family, the leaves of which are sometimes used for spinach, in Europe.
☞ The name is also applied, in the United States, to certain climbing plants, some of which are poisonous to the skin, esp. to the
Rhus Toxicodendron
, or poison ivy.
Dog’s mercury
(Bot.)
,
Mercurialis perennis
, a perennial plant differing from
Mercurialis annua
by having the leaves sessile.
–
English mercury
(Bot.)
,
a kind of goosefoot formerly used as a pot herb; – called
Good King Henry
.
–
Horn mercury
(Min.)
,
a mineral chloride of mercury, having a semitranslucent, hornlike appearance.

Mer′cu-ry

,
Verb.
T.
To wash with a preparation of mercury.
[Obs.]
B. Jonson.

Webster 1828 Edition

Mercury

MER'CURY

,
Noun.
[L. Mercurius. In mythology, Mercury is the god of eloquence and of commerce, called by the Greeks Hermes, and his name is said to be formed from merces, or mercor. But in antiquity, there were several persons or deities of this name.]
1.
Quicksilver, a metal remarkable for its fusibility, which is so great that to fix or congeal it requires a degree of cold which is marked on Fahrenheit's scale at thirty nine degrees below zero. Its specific gravity is greater than that of any other metal, except platina, gold and tungsten. Under a heat of 660 degrees, it rises in fumes and is gradually converted into a red oxyd. Mercury is used in barometers to ascertain the weight of the atmosphere, and in thermometers to determine the temperature of the air, for which purposes it is well adapted by its expansibility, and the extensive range between its freezing and boiling points. Preparations of this metal are among the most powerful poisons, and are extensively used as medicines. The preparation called calomel, is a most efficacious deobstruent.
2.
Heat of constitutional temperament; spirit; sprightly qualities.
3.
A genus of plants,the Mercurialis, of several species.
4.
One of the planets nearest the sun. It is 3224 miles in diameter, and revolves round the sun in about 88 days. Its mean distance from the sun is thirty seven millions of miles.
5.
The name of a newspaper or periodical publication, and in some places,the carrier of a newspaper or pamphlet.

MER'CURY

,
Verb.
T.
To wash with a preparation of mercury.

Definition 2024

Mercury

Mercury

See also: mercury

English

Mercury astronomical symbol

Proper noun

Mercury

  1. (Roman mythology) The Roman god associated with speed, sometimes used as a messenger. He wore winged sandals. Mercury corresponded to the Greek god Hermes.
  2. (astronomy) The planet in the solar system with the closest orbit to the Sun, named after the god; represented by ☿.

Translations

See also

Noun

Mercury ‎(plural Mercuries)

  1. (dated) A carrier of tidings; a newsboy; a messenger.
  2. (dated) A newspaper.
    • Macaulay
      The monthly Mercuries.

mercury

mercury

See also: Mercury

English

Chemical element
Hg Previous: gold (Au)
Next: thallium (Tl)

Noun

mercury ‎(countable and uncountable, plural mercuries)

  1. A metal.
    1. A silvery-colored, toxic, metallic chemical element, liquid at room temperature, with atomic number 80 and symbol Hg. [from 14th c.]
    2. (sciences, historical) One of the elemental principles formerly thought to be present in all metals. [from 15th c.]
    3. (with definite article) Ambient pressure or temperature (from the use of mercury in barometers and thermometers). [from 17th c.]
      The mercury there has averaged 37.6C, 2.3C above the February norm.
    4. (obsolete) Liveliness, volatility. [17th-18th c.]
      • (Can we date this quote?) Bishop Burnet
        He was so full of mercury that he could not fix long in any friendship, or to any design.
  2. A plant.
    1. An annual plant, Mercurialis annua, formerly grown for its medicinal properties; French mercury. [from 14th c.]
      • 1653, Nicholas Culpeper, The English Physician Enlarged, Folio Society 2007, p. 188:
        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.
    2. A similar edible plant, Chenopodium bonus-henricus, otherwise known as English mercury or allgood. [from 15th c.]
    3. (US, regional) The poison oak or poison ivy. [from 18th c.]

Synonyms

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

See also

Etymology

From Latin Mercurius.

Pronunciation

  • (US) IPA(key): /ˈmɝkjəɹi/

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