quicksilver

English

Etymology

From Middle English quyksilver, from Old English cwicseolfor. Literally "living silver" from its ability to move. See quick in the sense of living.

Noun

quicksilver (uncountable)

1. The metal mercury.
2. (colloquial) An amalgam of mercury and tin applied to the backs of mirrors, quicksilvering.

Quotations

• For usage examples of this term, see the citations page.

Synonyms

• (the metal mercury): mercury, hydrargyrum

Derived terms

terms derived from quicksilver

quicksilvered quicksilver horizon quicksilvering quicksilverish

quicksilver plaster quicksilver soap quicksilver water quicksilvery

Translations

mercury

• Bashkir: терегөмөш (teregömöš)
• Danish: kviksølv (da) n
• Dutch: kwikzilver (nl) n
• Finnish: elohopea (fi)
• French: vif-argent (fr) m
• German: Quecksilber (de) n
• Greek: υδράργυρος (el) (ydrárgyros) m

• Hebrew: כספית (he) f
• Low German: Quecksülver (nds) n
• Portuguese: mercúrio (pt) m
• Romanian: mercur (ro) n, argint viu (ro) n, hidrargir (ro)
• Russian: ртуть (ru) (rtut') f
• Spanish: Mercurio (es) m
• Volapük: hidrargin (vo), (synonym) märkurin (vo)

amalgam used on mirrors

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

• Latin: argentum vivum (la), argentum liquidum (la)

Adjective

quicksilver (not comparable)

1. Unpredictable, erratic or fickle; mercurial.
   • 2012 April 29, Nathan Rabin, “TV: Review: THE SIMPSONS (CLASSIC): “Treehouse of Horror III” (season 4, episode 5; originally aired 10/29/1992)”:

     The idea of a merchant selling both totems of pure evil and frozen yogurt (he calls it frogurt!) is amusing in itself, as is the idea that frogurt could be cursed, but it’s really the Shopkeeper’s quicksilver shift from ominous doomsaying to chipper salesmanship that sells the sequence.

Verb

quicksilver (third-person singular simple present quicksilvers, present participle quicksilvering, simple past and past participle quicksilvered)

1. To overlay with quicksilver.
2. To treat with quicksilver.

References

• quicksilver in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1914