hydrargyrum

English

Alternative forms

• with an Ancient Greek -on accusative case ending, hydrargyron (obsolete)
• (with a Latin -um accusative case ending) hydrargyrum (current)
• (without a case ending) hydrargire, hydrargirie, hydrargyre (all obsolete)
• (abbreviation) hydrarg. (currency uncertain)

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *wed-

Proto-Indo-European *-r̥

Proto-Indo-European *wódr̥

Proto-Hellenic *údōr

Ancient Greek ὕδωρ (húdōr)

Proto-Indo-European *h₂erǵ-

Proto-Indo-European *h₂érǵ-u-ros or *h₂érǵ-wr̥ ~ h₂r̥ǵ-wén-s

Ancient Greek ἄργῠρος (árgŭros)

Ancient Greek ὑδράργυρος (hudrárguros)bor.

New Latin hydrargyrusder.

New Latin hydrargyrumbor.

English hydrargyrum

From New Latin hydrargyrum (“mercury”). By surface analysis, hydr- +‎ argyr- +‎ -um.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /haɪˈdɹɑː(ɹ)d͡ʒɪɹəm/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

  • (Can we verify⁽⁺⁾ this pronunciation?) (particularly: Although it does not match the IPA, this may be a pronunciation that is used.)

Noun

hydrargyrum (uncountable)

1. (chemistry, medicine) Mercury (chemical element).

   Synonyms: (alchemy) azoth, (standard term) mercury, (not in technical use) quicksilver

   • 1706, Edward Phillips, compiler, J[ohn] K[ersey the younger], “Hydrargyrum”, in The New World of Words: Or, Universal English Dictionary. […], 6th edition, London: […] J. Phillips, […]; N. Rhodes, […]; and J. Taylor, […], →OCLC, column 2:

     Hydrargyrum, Quick-ſilver, a Mineral, of a ſtrange piercing Quality, ſo as to eat thro' Gold, Silver, &c.

   • 1980, Gene Wolfe, chapter XIV, in The Shadow of the Torturer (The Book of the New Sun; 1), New York: Simon & Schuster, →ISBN, page 129:

     ‘There is a channel in the spine of her blade, and in it runs a river of hydrargyrum—a metal heavier than iron, though it flows like water.’

Derived terms

• hydrargochloride
• hydrargyral
• hydrargyrate
• hydrargyria
• hydrargyriasis
• hydrargyric
• hydrargyrism
• hydrargyrosis
• hydrargyrous
• hydrargysm

Translations

cognate translations of hydrargyrum — otherwise see mercury

• Esperanto: hidrargo (eo)
• French: hydrargyre (fr) m
• Greek: υδράργυρος (el) m (ydrárgyros)
• Latin: hydrargyrum (la) n
• Portuguese: hidrargírio m
• Romanian: hidrargir (ro)
• Russian: гидра́ргирум m (gidrárgirum)
• Spanish: hidrargiro m, hidrargirio (es) m
• Ukrainian: гідра́ргірум m (hidrárhirum), гідра́рґірум m (hidrárgirum)

References

• NED V (H–K; 1st ed., 1901), § 1 (H), page 482/3, “‖Hydrargyrum”

Latin

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [hyˈdrar.ɡy.rũː]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [iˈdrar.d͡ʒi.rum]

Etymology 1

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *wed-

Proto-Indo-European *-r̥

Proto-Indo-European *wódr̥

Proto-Hellenic *údōr

Ancient Greek ὕδωρ (húdōr)

Proto-Indo-European *h₂erǵ-

Proto-Indo-European *h₂érǵ-u-ros or *h₂érǵ-wr̥ ~ h₂r̥ǵ-wén-s

Ancient Greek ἄργῠρος (árgŭros)

Ancient Greek ὑδράργυρος (hudrárguros)bor.

Latin hydrargyrusder.

Latin hydrargyrum

A regularly inflected form of hydrargyrus.

Noun

hydrargyrum

1. accusative singular of hydrargyrus

Etymology 2

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

An alteration of the Classical Latin hydrargyrus (“quicksilver (artificially prepared)”), by analogy with the names of other metals, such as aurum (“gold”) and argentum (“silver”).

Noun

hydrargyrum n (genitive hydrargyrī); second declension

1. (New Latin) mercury

Declension

Second-declension noun (neuter).

	singular	plural
nominative	hydrargyrum	hydrargyra
genitive	hydrargyrī	hydrargyrōrum
dative	hydrargyrō	hydrargyrīs
accusative	hydrargyrum	hydrargyra
ablative	hydrargyrō	hydrargyrīs
vocative	hydrargyrum	hydrargyra

Descendants

• Translingual: Hg
• English: hydrargyrum
• French: hydrargyre
• Russian: гидра́ргирум (gidrárgirum)

Further reading

• hydrargyrum on the Latin Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^la