quicksilver

[kwik-sil-ver] /ˈkwɪkˌsɪl vər/
noun
1.
the metallic element mercury.
verb (used with object)
2.
to amalgamate (metal) with mercury.
Origin
before 1000; Middle English qwyksilver, Old English cwicseolfor (translation Latin argentum vīvum) literally, living silver
Related forms
quicksilvery, adjective
Examples from the web for quicksilver
  • He moves with quicksilver wit, technical brilliance and crystalline clarity.
  • His face, for all its quicksilver changes of expression, remains essentially opaque.
  • It is an extremely heavy metal with a silvery-white color that accounts for the name quicksilver that is often given to it.
British Dictionary definitions for quicksilver

quicksilver

/ˈkwɪkˌsɪlvə/
noun
1.
another name for mercury (sense 1)
adjective
2.
rapid or unpredictable in movement or change: a quicksilver temper
Word Origin
Old English, from cwicu alive (see quick) + seolfer silver
Word Origin and History for quicksilver
n.

Old English cwicseolfor, literally "living silver," translating Latin argentum vivum (cf. Italian argento vivo), literally "living silver;" so called from its liquid mobility. See quick (adj.) + silver (n.). Cf. Dutch kwikzilver, Old High German quecsilbar, German quecksilber, French vif-argent, Italian argenta viva.

quicksilver in Technology

database
A dBASE-like compiler for MS-DOS from WordTech.
(1995-05-11)