quicksilver
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
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[edit] English
[edit] Etymology
From Middle English quyksilver, from Old English cwicseolfor. Literally "living silver" from its ability to move. See quick in the sense of living.
[edit] Noun
quicksilver (uncountable)
- The metal mercury.
- (colloquial) An amalgam of mercury and tin applied to the backs of mirrors, quicksilvering.
[edit] Quotations
- For examples of the usage of this term see the citations page.
[edit] Derived terms
terms derived from quicksilver
[edit] Translations
mercury
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amalgam used on mirrors
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[edit] Adjective
quicksilver (not comparable)
- Unpredictable, erratic or fickle; mercurial.
[edit] Verb
quicksilver (third-person singular simple present quicksilvers, present participle quicksilvering, simple past and past participle quicksilvered)
[edit] References
- quicksilver in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
- The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1914