quicksilver

== English == === Etymology === From Middle English quyk silver, quyksilver, quikselver, from Old English cwicseolfor (“quicksilver”, literally “living silver”) (see Latin argentum vīvum) from its ability to move. See quick in the sense of "living". Cognate with Dutch kwikzilver, German Low German Quicksülver, German Quecksilber, Danish kviksølv, Norwegian Bokmål kvikksølv, Swedish kvicksilver. By surface analysis, quick (“living”) +‎ silver. === Pronunciation === (US) enPR: kwĭk'sĭlvər, IPA(key): /ˈkwɪkˌsɪlvɚ/ === Noun === quicksilver (uncountable) (now chiefly literary or puristic, otherwise archaic) The metal mercury. (loosely) An amalgam of mercury and tin applied to the backs of mirrors; quicksilvering. ==== Quotations ==== For quotations using this term, see Citations:quicksilver. ==== Synonyms ==== (the metal): mercury, hydrargyrum ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Translations ==== === Adjective === quicksilver (not comparable) (now chiefly literary or puristic, otherwise archaic) Unpredictable, erratic, or fickle; mercurial. ==== Translations ==== === Verb === quicksilver (third-person singular simple present quicksilvers, present participle quicksilvering, simple past and past participle quicksilvered) (transitive) To overlay with quicksilver. (transitive) To treat with quicksilver. ==== Derived terms ==== === Further reading === David Barthelmy (1997–2026), “Quicksilver”, in Webmineral Mineralogy Database. “quicksilver”, in Mindat.org, Keswick, Va.: Hudson Institute of Mineralogy, 2000–2026. “quicksilver”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC. William Dwight Whitney and Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1914), “quicksilver”, in The Century Dictionary: An Encyclopedic Lexicon of the English Language, revised edition, volumes IV (P–Simulant), New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.