mercury

mer·cu·ry  (mûrky-r)

n.

1. Symbol Hg A silvery-white poisonous metallic element, liquid at room temperature and used in thermometers, barometers, vapor lamps, and batteries and in the preparation of chemical pesticides. Atomic number 80; atomic weight 200.59; melting point -38.87°C; boiling point 356.58°C; specific gravity 13.546 (at 20°C); valence 1, 2. Also called quicksilver. See Table at element.

2. Temperature: The mercury had fallen rapidly by morning.

3. Any of several weedy plants of the genera Mercurialis or Acalypha.

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[Middle English mercurie, from Medieval Latin mercurius, from Latin Mercurius, Mercury.]

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mercury

Noun

pl -ries Chem a silvery toxic metal, the only element liquid at normal temperatures, used in thermometers, barometers, lamps, and dental amalgams Symbol: Hg[Latin Mercurius, messenger of Jupiter]

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Mercury

Noun

1. Roman myth the messenger of the gods

2. the second smallest planet and the one nearest the sun

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mercury  (mûrky-r)

Symbol Hg

A silvery-white, dense, poisonous metallic element that is a liquid at room temperature and is used in thermometers, barometers, batteries, and pesticides. Atomic number 80; atomic weight 200.59; melting point -38.87°C; boiling point 356.58°C; specific gravity 13.546 (at 20°C); valence 1, 2. See Periodic Table.

Word History Like a few other elements, mercury has a chemical symbol, Hg, that bears no resemblance to its name. This is because Hg is an abbreviation of the Latin name of the element, which was hydrargium. This word in turn was taken over from Greek, where it literally meant "water-silver." With this name the Greeks were referring to the fact that mercury is a silvery liquid at room temperature, rather than a solid like other metals. Similarly, an older English name for this element is quicksilver, which means "living silver," referring to its ability to move like a living thing. (The word quick used to mean "alive," as in the Biblical phrase "the quick and the dead.") The name mercury refers to the fact that the element flows about quickly: the name comes from the Roman god Mercury, who was the swift-footed messenger of the gods.

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Mercury

The planet closest to the Sun and the second smallest in the solar system. Mercury is a terrestrial or inner planet, second in density only to Earth, with a rugged, heavily-cratered surface similar in appearance to Earth's Moon. Its rotational period of 58.6 days is two-thirds of its 88-day orbital period, thus, it makes three full axial rotations every two years. Mercury's atmosphere is almost nonexistent; this fact, which produces rapid radiational cooling on its dark side, together with its proximity to the Sun, gives it a temperature range greater than any other planet in the solar system, from 466° to -184°C (870° to -300°F). Because it is so close to the Sun, Mercury is only visible shortly before sunrise or after sunset, and observation is further hindered by the fact that its light must pass obliquely through the lower atmosphere where it is distorted or filtered by dust and pollution. See Table at solar system.

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	mercury - a heavy silvery toxic univalent and bivalent metallic element; the only metal that is liquid at ordinary temperatures atomic number 80, Hg, hydrargyrum, quicksilver metal, metallic element - any of several chemical elements that are usually shiny solids that conduct heat or electricity and can be formed into sheets etc. cinnabar - a heavy reddish mineral consisting of mercuric sulfide; the chief source of mercury calomel, mercurous chloride - a tasteless colorless powder used medicinally as a cathartic
	2.	Mercury - (Roman mythology) messenger of Jupiter and god of commerce; counterpart of Greek Hermes Roman mythology - the mythology of the ancient Romans
	3.	Mercury - the smallest planet and the nearest to the sun solar system - the sun with the celestial bodies that revolve around it in its gravitational field
	4.	mercury - temperature measured by a mercury thermometer; "the mercury was falling rapidly" temperature - the degree of hotness or coldness of a body or environment (corresponding to its molecular activity)

Translations

mercury [ˈməːkjurɪ] n → mercurio

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mercury [ˈməːkjurɪ] n → mercure m

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mercury [ˈməːkjurɪ] n → Quecksilber nt

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mercury [ˈməːkjurɪ] n → mercurio