Meaning
1 senses(error unknown tag, literary, not comparable)Unpredictable, erratic, or fickle; mercurial.
quecksilbrig
- liable to sudden unpredictable change
Examples
4 sentencesMercury is also known as quicksilver.
The alchemist tried unsuccessfully to convert quicksilver into gold.
Quicksilver is also known as mercury.
Quicksilver, always liquid, corrodes metals.
ruРтуть, всегда находящаяся в жидком состоянии, разъедает металлы. — carlosalberto
deQuecksilber, das immer flüssig ist, korrodiert Metalle. — carlosalberto
Translations
1 languagesBy meaning 1
Origin
From Middle English quyk silver, quyksilver, quikselver, from Old English cwicseolfor (“quFrom 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.
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