What does quicksilver mean?

Definitions for quicksilver
ˈkwɪkˌsɪl vərquick·sil·ver

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word quicksilver.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. mercury, quicksilver, hydrargyrum, Hg, atomic number 80adjective

    a heavy silvery toxic univalent and bivalent metallic element; the only metal that is liquid at ordinary temperatures

  2. erratic, fickle, mercurial, quicksilver(a)adjective

    liable to sudden unpredictable change

    "erratic behavior"; "fickle weather"; "mercurial twists of temperament"; "a quicksilver character, cool and willful at one moment, utterly fragile the next"

Wiktionary

  1. quicksilvernoun

    The metal mercury.

  2. quicksilvernoun

    An amalgam of mercury and tin applied to the backs of mirrors, quicksilvering.

  3. quicksilververb

    To overlay with quicksilver.

  4. quicksilververb

    To treat with quicksilver.

  5. quicksilveradjective

    Unpredictable, erratic or fickle; mercurial.

  6. Etymology: From quyksilver, from cwicseolfor. Literally "living silver" from its ability to move. See quick in the sense of living.

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. Quicksilvernoun

    Quicksilver, called mercury by the chymists, is a naturally fluid mineral, and the heaviest of all known bodies next to gold, and is the more heavy and fluid, as it is more pure; its nature is so homogene and simple, that it is a question whether gold itself be more so: it penetrates the parts of all the other metals, renders them brittle, and in part dissolves them: it is wholly volatile in the fire, and may be driven up in vapour by a degree of heat very little greater than that of boiling water: it is the least tenacious of all bodies, and every smaller drop may be again divided by the lightest touch into a multitude of others, and is the most divisible of all bodies: mercury very readily mixes with gold, silver, lead and tin, by chymical operations, but not without difficulty with copper and iron; and it mixes easily with zink and bismuth among the semimetals: the specifick gravity of pure mercury is to water as 14020 to 1000, and as it is the heaviest of all fluids, it is also the coldest, and when heated the hottest: of the various ores, in which mercury is found, cinnabar is the richest and most valuable, which is extremely heavy, and of a bright and beautiful red colour: native cinnabar is principally found in the mines of Friuli, belonging to the Venetians, in Italy, and some others in Spain, Hungary, and the East Indies: quicksilver is also found sometimes in its pure and fluid state lodged in cavities of hard stones in the cinnabar mines, and the purer ores are chiefly composed of cinnabar in small quantities, mixed with various other substances: the ancients all esteemed quicksilver a poison, nor was it brought into internal use till about two hundred and twenty years ago, which was first occasioned by the shepherds, who ventured to give it their sheep to kill worms, and as they received no hurt by it, it was soon concluded, that men might take it safely: in time, the diggers in the mines, when they found it crude, swallowed it in vast quantities, in order to sell it privately, when they had voided it by stool: but too free a use of so powerful a medicine cannot be always without danger: the miners seldom follow their occupation above three or four years, and then die in a most miserable condition; and the artificers, who have much dealing in it, are generally seized with paralytick disorders: however, under proper regulation, it is a most excellent medicine. John Hill Materia Medica.

    Etymology: quick and silver; argentum vivum, Lat.

    Mercury is very improperly called a metal, for though it has weight and similarity of parts, it is neither dissolvable by fire, malleable nor fixed: it seems to constitute a particular class of fossils, and is rather the mother or basis of all metals, than a metal itself: mercury is of considerable use in gilding, making looking-glasses, in refining gold, and various other mechanical operations besides medicine. Ephraim Chambers.

    Cinnabar maketh a beautiful purple like unto a red rose; the best was wont to be made in Libia of brimstone and quicksilver burnt. Henry Peacham, on Drawing.

Wikipedia

  1. Quicksilver

    for the Pink Floyd song see Quicksilver (instrumental)Quicksilver is a song, which became a hit for Bing Crosby in 1950. It was written by Eddie Pola, George Wyle and Irving Taylor. A composition of the same name by jazz pianist Horace Silver was first recorded in 1952 and has become most associated with him.

ChatGPT

  1. quicksilver

    Quicksilver is another name for the chemical element mercury, which is a heavy, silvery-white metal that is liquid at room temperature. The term "quicksilver" is commonly used in older scientific literature.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Quicksilveradjective

    the metal mercury; -- so called from its resemblance to liquid silver

  2. Etymology: [Quick living + silver; -- so called from its fluidity; cf. G. quecksilber, L. argentum vivum. See Quick, a.]

Wikidata

  1. Quicksilver

    Quicksilver is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in X-Men #4 and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. He is the son of Magneto, the twin brother of the Scarlet Witch, and the paternal half-brother of Polaris. Debuting in the Silver Age of comic books, Quicksilver has featured in four decades of Marvel continuity, starring in the self-titled series Quicksilver and as a regular team member in superhero title the Avengers. The character has also appeared in other Marvel-endorsed products such as animated films; arcade and video games; television series and merchandise such as action figures and trading cards. In 2006, IGN named Quicksilver #23 on their list of "The Top 25 X-Men Of All Time" commenting that "Quicksilver was the shining example of a villain turned good." Evan Peters will portray the character in the 2014 live-action film X-Men: Days of Future Past.

Suggested Resources

  1. quicksilver

    Song lyrics by quicksilver -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by quicksilver on the Lyrics.com website.

Etymology and Origins

  1. Quicksilver

    Living or moving silver. Quick is old English for “living”; hence “The Quick and the Dead.”

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

How to pronounce quicksilver?

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Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of quicksilver in Chaldean Numerology is: 6

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of quicksilver in Pythagorean Numerology is: 2

Examples of quicksilver in a Sentence

  1. Austin O'Malley:

    A politician is like quicksilver if you try to put your finger on him, you will find nothing under it.

  2. Dorothy Rothschild Parker:

    Love is like quicksilver in the hand. Leave the fingers open and it stays. Clutch it, and it darts away.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

quicksilver#10000#29748#100000

Translations for quicksilver

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"quicksilver." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 14 Nov. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/quicksilver>.

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