Adjacent Words

Mercury definitions

	Tweet

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

MER'CURY, n. [L. Mercurius. In mythology, Mercury is the god of eloquence and of commerce, called by the Greeks Hermes, and his name is said to be formed from merces, or mercor. But in antiquity, there were several persons or deities of this name.]
1. Quicksilver, a metal remarkable for its fusibility, which is so great that to fix or congeal it requires a degree of cold which is marked on Fahrenheit's scale at thirty nine degrees below zero. Its specific gravity is greater than that of any other metal, except platina, gold and tungsten. Under a heat of 660 degrees, it rises in fumes and is gradually converted into a red oxyd. Mercury is used in barometers to ascertain the weight of the atmosphere, and in thermometers to determine the temperature of the air, for which purposes it is well adapted by its expansibility, and the extensive range between its freezing and boiling points. Preparations of this metal are among the most powerful poisons, and are extensively used as medicines. The preparation called calomel, is a most efficacious deobstruent.
2. Heat of constitutional temperament; spirit; sprightly qualities.
3. A genus of plants,the Mercurialis, of several species.
4. One of the planets nearest the sun. It is 3224 miles in diameter, and revolves round the sun in about 88 days. Its mean distance from the sun is thirty seven millions of miles.
5. The name of a newspaper or periodical publication, and in some places,the carrier of a newspaper or pamphlet.
MER'CURY, v.t. To wash with a preparation of mercury.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a heavy silvery toxic univalent and bivalent metallic element; the only metal that is liquid at ordinary temperatures [syn: mercury, quicksilver, hydrargyrum, Hg, atomic number 80]
2: (Roman mythology) messenger of Jupiter and god of commerce; counterpart of Greek Hermes
3: the smallest planet and the nearest to the sun
4: temperature measured by a mercury thermometer; "the mercury was falling rapidly"

Merriam Webster's

noun (plural -ries) Etymology: Latin Mercurius, Roman god and the planet Date: 14th century 1. a. capitalized a Roman god of commerce, eloquence, travel, cunning, and theft who serves as messenger to the other gods — compare Hermes b. often capitalized, archaic a bearer of messages or news or a conductor of travelers 2. [Middle English mercurie, from Medieval Latin mercurius, from Latin, the god] a. a silver-white poisonous heavy metallic element that is liquid at ordinary temperatures and is used especially in batteries, in dental amalgam, and in scientific instruments — called also quicksilver — see element table b. the column of mercury in a thermometer or barometer; also temperature <the mercury rose above 70 degrees> 3. capitalized the planet nearest the sun — see planet table

Dictionary of the Elements

mercury
Symbol: Hg
Atomic number: 80
Atomic weight: 200.59
Heavy silvery liquid metallic element, belongs to the zinc group. Used in thermometers, barometers and other scientific apparatus. Less reactive than zinc and cadmium, does not displace hydrogen from acids. Forms a number of complexes and organomercury compounds.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. 1 Chem. a silvery-white heavy liquid metallic element occurring naturally in cinnabar and used in barometers, thermometers, and amalgams; quicksilver. Usage: Symb.: Hg. 2 (Mercury) the planet nearest to the sun. 3 any plant of the genus Mercurialis, esp. M. perenne. Phrases and idioms: mercury vapour lamp a lamp in which light is produced by an electric discharge through mercury vapour. Derivatives: mercuric adj. mercurous adj. Etymology: ME f. L Mercurius messenger of the gods and god of traders f. merx mercis merchandise

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Mercury Mer"cu*ry, n. [L. Mercurius; akin to merx wares.] 1. (Rom. Myth.) A Latin god of commerce and gain; -- treated by the poets as identical with the Greek Hermes, messenger of the gods, conductor of souls to the lower world, and god of eloquence. 2. (Chem.) A metallic element mostly obtained by reduction from cinnabar, one of its ores. It is a heavy, opaque, glistening liquid (commonly called quicksilver), and is used in barometers, thermometers, ect. Specific gravity 13.6. Symbol Hg (Hydrargyrum). Atomic weight 199.8. Mercury has a molecule which consists of only one atom. It was named by the alchemists after the god Mercury, and designated by his symbol, [mercury]. Note: Mercury forms alloys, called amalgams, with many metals, and is thus used in applying tin foil to the backs of mirrors, and in extracting gold and silver from their ores. It is poisonous, and is used in medicine in the free state as in blue pill, and in its compounds as calomel, corrosive sublimate, etc. It is the only metal which is liquid at ordinary temperatures, and it solidifies at about -39[deg] Centigrade to a soft, malleable, ductile metal. 3. (Astron.) One of the planets of the solar system, being the one nearest the sun, from which its mean distance is about 36,000,000 miles. Its period is 88 days, and its diameter 3,000 miles. 4. A carrier of tidings; a newsboy; a messenger; hence, also, a newspaper. --Sir J. Stephen. ``The monthly Mercuries.'' --Macaulay. 5. Sprightly or mercurial quality; spirit; mutability; fickleness. [Obs.] He was so full of mercury that he could not fix long in any friendship, or to any design. --Bp. Burnet. 6. (Bot.) A plant (Mercurialis annua), of the Spurge family, the leaves of which are sometimes used for spinach, in Europe. Note: The name is also applied, in the United States, to certain climbing plants, some of which are poisonous to the skin, esp. to the Rhus Toxicodendron, or poison ivy. Dog's mercury (Bot.), Mercurialis perennis, a perennial plant differing from M. annua by having the leaves sessile. English mercury (Bot.), a kind of goosefoot formerly used as a pot herb; -- called Good King Henry. Horn mercury (Min.), a mineral chloride of mercury, having a semitranslucent, hornlike appearance.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Mercury Mer"cu*ry, v. t. To wash with a preparation of mercury. [Obs.] --B. Jonson.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Poison Poi"son, n. [F. poison, in Old French also, a potion, fr. L. potio a drink, draught, potion, a poisonous draught, fr. potare to drink. See Potable, and cf. Potion.] 1. Any agent which, when introduced into the animal organism, is capable of producing a morbid, noxious, or deadly effect upon it; as, morphine is a deadly poison; the poison of pestilential diseases. 2. That which taints or destroys moral purity or health; as, the poison of evil example; the poison of sin. Poison ash. (Bot.) (a) A tree of the genus Amyris (A. balsamifera) found in the West Indies, from the trunk of which a black liquor distills, supposed to have poisonous qualities. (b) The poison sumac (Rhus venenata). [U. S.] Poison dogwood (Bot.), poison sumac. Poison fang (Zo["o]l.), one of the superior maxillary teeth of some species of serpents, which, besides having the cavity for the pulp, is either perforated or grooved by a longitudinal canal, at the lower end of which the duct of the poison gland terminates. See Illust. under Fang. Poison gland (Biol.), a gland, in animals or plants, which secretes an acrid or venomous matter, that is conveyed along an organ capable of inflicting a wound. Poison hemlock (Bot.), a poisonous umbelliferous plant (Conium maculatum). See Hemlock. Poison ivy (Bot.), a poisonous climbing plant (Rhus Toxicodendron) of North America. It is common on stone walls and on the trunks of trees, and has trifoliate, rhombic-ovate, variously notched leaves. Many people are poisoned by it, if they touch the leaves. See Poison sumac. Called also poison oak, and mercury. Poison nut. (Bot.) (a) Nux vomica. (b) The tree which yields this seed (Strychnos Nuxvomica). It is found on the Malabar and Coromandel coasts. Poison oak (Bot.), the poison ivy; also, the more shrubby Rhus diversiloba of California and Oregon. Poison sac. (Zo["o]l.) Same as Poison gland, above. See Illust. under Fang. Poison sumac (Bot.), a poisonous shrub of the genus Rhus (R. venenata); -- also called poison ash, poison dogwood, and poison elder. It has pinnate leaves on graceful and slender common petioles, and usually grows in swampy places. Both this plant and the poison ivy (Rhus Toxicodendron) have clusters of smooth greenish white berries, while the red-fruited species of this genus are harmless. The tree (Rhus vernicifera) which yields the celebrated Japan lacquer is almost identical with the poison sumac, and is also very poisonous. The juice of the poison sumac also forms a lacquer similar to that of Japan. Syn: Venom; virus; bane; pest; malignity. Usage: Poison, Venom. Poison usually denotes something received into the system by the mouth, breath, etc. Venom is something discharged from animals and received by means of a wound, as by the bite or sting of serpents, scorpions, etc. Hence, venom specifically implies some malignity of nature or purpose.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

Mercury is a silver-coloured liquid metal that is used especially in thermometers and barometers.

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. Hermes. 2. Quicksilver. 3. Poison ivy (Rhus toxicodendron). 4. Messenger, intelligencer. 5. Newspaper vender, newsboy. 6. Newspaper.

Foolish Dictionary

A celestial messenger-boy, who wore wings on his shoes and knew how "to get there" in a hurry.

Now they all wear hobbles, and never exceed the speed limit in a public thoroughfare.

Moby Thesaurus

Agdistis, Amor, Aphrodite, Apollo, Apollon, Ares, Artemis, Ate, Athena, Bacchus, Ceres, Cora, Cronus, Cupid, Cybele, Demeter, Despoina, Diana, Dionysus, Dis, Earth, Eros, Gaea, Gaia, Ge, Great Mother, Hades, Helios, Hephaestus, Hera, Here, Hermes, Hestia, Hymen, Hyperion, Iris, Jove, Juno, Jupiter, Jupiter Fidius, Jupiter Fulgur, Jupiter Optimus Maximus, Jupiter Pluvius, Jupiter Tonans, Kore, Kronos, Magna Mater, Mars, Minerva, Mithras, Momus, Neptune, Nike, Olympians, Olympic gods, Ops, Orcus, Paul Revere, Persephassa, Persephone, Pheidippides, Phoebus, Phoebus Apollo, Pluto, Poseidon, Proserpina, Proserpine, Rhea, Saturn, Tellus, Uranus, Venus, Vesta, Vulcan, Zeus, asteroid, carrier, commercialism, commissionaire, courier, diplomatic courier, emissary, estafette, express, go-between, industrialism, inferior planet, major planet, mercantilism, message-bearer, messenger, minor planet, nuncio, planet, planetoid, post, postboy, postrider, runner, secondary planet, solar system, superior planet, terrestrial planet, wanderer

Moby Thesaurus

April showers, Gyropilot, Proteus, antelope, arrow, automatic pilot, blue darter, blue streak, boatheader, boatsteerer, cannonball, chameleon, cicerone, cloud shapes, courier, courser, cowherd, coxswain, dart, dragoman, drover, eagle, electricity, express train, flash, gazelle, glass, goatherd, greased lightning, greyhound, guide, guidepost, guider, hare, helmsman, herd, herdsman, jet plane, kaleidoscope, light, lightning, moon, navigator, pilot, pointer, quicksilver, river pilot, rocket, rolling stone, scared rabbit, shepherd, shifting sands, shot, steerer, steersman, streak, streak of lightning, striped snake, swallow, the weather, thermal detector, thermometer, thermostat, thought, thunderbolt, torrent, tour director, tour guide, water, weather vane, weathercock, wheel of fortune, whirligig, wind