mercury
mercury
Definition
mer·cury (mʉr′kyo̵or ē, -kyər-)
noun
- Rom. Myth. the messenger of the gods, god of commerce, manual skill, eloquence, cleverness, travel, and thievery: identified with the Greek Hermes
- the eighth largest planet in the solar system and the one nearest to the sun: diameter, c. 4,880 km (c. 3,030 mi); period of revolution, 87.97 earth days; period of rotation, 58.65 earth days; symbol, ☿
Etymology: ME < ML mercurius < L, Mercurius, Mercury: so named by the alchemists because of its fluidity: see quicksilver
- a heavy, silver-white metallic chemical element, liquid at ordinary temperatures, which sometimes occurs in a free state but usually in combination with sulfur; quicksilver: it is used in thermometers, air pumps, electrical products, etc. and in dentistry: symbol, Hg; at. no., 80
- the mercury column in a thermometer or barometer
- pl. -·riesNow Rare a messenger or guide
- Bot.
- any of a genus (Mercurialis) of plants of the spurge family
- an edible European plant (Chenopodium bonus-henricus) of the goosefoot family
Etymology: L Mercurius, Mercury, of Etr orig.
mercury
Usage Examples
Converse of object
- spill: Advice is available should you experience any problems or need to dispose of spilled mercury.
- contain: Many people have metals in the mouth, including dental amalgam fillings, which contain 50 % mercury.
Preposition: in
- filling: Is there any evidence supporting the theory that mercury in dental fillings is toxic?
- vaccine: The article argued that the cumulative effects of mercury in vaccine may lower the immune system with the MMR being a possible trigger.
- tube: Rather than pouring out again, the mercury in the tube will only fall until the height of the column is about a meter.
Adjective modifier
- elemental: The proponents of transgenic phytoremediation argued that mercury emissions from the treated sites would be below the current emission levels for elemental mercury.
- inorganic: The main distinction is between organic mercury and inorganic mercury.
- metallic: Aliquots of the digests were reduced with sodium borohydride to yield metallic mercury.
- liquid: The LMT consists of a 3 m diameter parabolic dish that holds four gallons of liquid mercury.
Modifies a noun
- sphygmomanometer: The mercury sphygmomanometer was soon to become the standard instrument for measuring blood pressure.
- vapor: All the Spread Charts for the mercury vapor lamps tested in the survey are shown here to the same scale.
- rectifier: Incidentally the station mains were DC and mercury arc rectifiers were used to convert the incoming 415 volt AC into 220 volts DC.
- barometer: Trying to read a mercury barometer on board a ship caught in a hurricane is not easy.
- amalgam: Here's Health Magazine carried out a campaign on the adverse effects of mercury amalgam some years ago.
- thermometer: Never place a mercury thermometer in your baby or child's mouth.
Noun used with modifier
- methyl: In general, however, methyl mercury levels for most fish are very low.
- ethyl: Thimerosal is 50 per cent composed of ethyl mercury and is used as a preservative.
- jersey: Quot that puts birmingham auto insurance jersey mercury new ala area.
- florida: Have been significantly been backed auto florida insurance mercury into confessed then died.
- auto: Have been significantly been backed auto florida insurance mercury into confessed then died.
mercury Quotes
Loading Mercury with a Pitchfork.
Browse dictionary entries near mercury
- mercurous
- Mercurochrome
- mercuric oxide
- mercuric chloride
- mercuric
- mercurialize
- mercurial
- mercurate
- Mercosur
- merciless
- mercury arc
- mercury chloride
- mercury switch
- mercury-vapor lamp
- mercy
- mercy killing
- mercy seat
- merde
- mere
- mere licensee
