hydrargyrum

English

Alternative forms

• (with a pseudo-Greek -on case ending, suggesting a noble gas) hydrargyron (obsolete)
• (with a Latin -um case ending) hydrargyrum (current)
• (without a case ending) hydrargire, hydrargirie, hydrargyre (all obsolete)
• (abbreviation) hydrarg. (currency uncertain)

Etymology

From New Latin hydrargyrum (“mercury”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /haɪˈdɹɑː(ɹ)d͡ʒɪɹəm/

Noun

hydrargyrum (uncountable)

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

   Synonyms: (alchemy) azoth, (standard term) mercury, (dated or evocative) 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

• hydrargyral = hydrargyrate = hydrargyric = hydrargyrous
• hydrargyria = hydrargyriasis = hydrargyrism = hydrargyrosis = 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) IPA^(key): /hyˈdrar.ɡy.rum/, [hʏˈd̪rärɡʏrʊ̃ˑ]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /iˈdrar.d͡ʒi.rum/, [iˈd̪rärd͡ʒirum]

Etymology 1

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).

Case	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