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Added 9 October 2026

mercury

/ˈmɜːkjʊ.ɹi/ noun

In Latin: hydrargyrum Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about mercury at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

A heavy silvery toxic univalent and bivalent metallic element; the only metal that is liquid at ordinary temperatures.
(Roman mythology) messenger of Jupiter and god of commerce; counterpart of Greek Hermes.
The smallest planet and the nearest to the sun.

Origin

The noun is derived from Middle English mercurie (“metallic chemical element, quicksilver; a plant, probably goosefoot (genus Chenopodium); (possibly) dog’s mercury (Mercurialis perennis); etc.”), borrowed from Late Latin mercurius (“metallic chemical element, quicksilver”), Latin Mercurius (“Mercury, the Roman god of commerce, communication, etc.; the planet Mercury; etc.”), possibly from merc-, a stem of merx (“goods, wares; merchandise”); further etymology uncertain, possibly: * from Proto-Indo-European *merǵ- (“to divide”), or *merkʷ- (“to grasp; to take”). The suffix -urius is also thought to be from Etruscan.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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