noun / adjective
quicksilver
KWIK-sil-ver/ˈkwɪksɪlvər/
Mercury, a silvery metal liquid at ordinary temperatures.
Shiny drops of quicksilver sit inside a sealed glass vial.
Etymology
The pieces mean “living silver,” using quick in its older sense “alive.” Mercury’s liquid mobility made the metal seem alive, giving it this vivid name.
In context
two morsels of quicksilver
More examples
- Some older thermometers contain quicksilver instead of colored alcohol.
- Quicksilver stays liquid at ordinary room temperatures.
- Miners once used quicksilver to extract gold from ore.
Similar words
- mercury
- The standard scientific name for the same metallic element.