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mercuryn. Origin: A borrowing from Latin. Etymon: Latin Mercurius. Etymology: < classical Latin Mercurius the god Mercury, cognate with merc- , merx commodity (see market n.): the suffix -urius is perhaps of Etruscan origin. In sense 3d probably after Middle French mercure (c1550 in this sense, 15th cent. in sense 7a).The Roman deity was probably originally the god of commerce only, but is in classical Latin literature completely identified with the Greek Hermes. In early times in England, Mercury seems to have been identified with the Germanic Woden: compare quot. OE at Maia n., and discussion s.v. Wednesday n. and adv. The transferred application to the planet is found in classical Latin; like the other planetary names (the Sun, Moon, Mars, Jupiter, Venus, and Saturn corresponding to gold, silver, iron, tin, copper, and lead respectively), Mercurius in post-classical Latin came to be used to denote a specific metal (from 12th cent. in British sources). This use probably arose from analogy between the fluidity of the metal at room temperature and the rapid motion held to be characteristic of the classical deity. The astronomical and chemical uses are common to the other major European languages; the use as a plant name is English only, after mercurial n. In sense 6 after adoption in Middle French a1458 by Sicily Herald (Jean de Courtais) of blazoning by the names of planets. See note s.v. merchant n. and adj. for discussion of variation between mar- and mer- forms. Eng. Dial. Dict. s.v. records mar- forms in the 19th cent. in regional use from Cumberland, Lincolnshire, Yorkshire, and Westmorland; compare also U.S. regional use (in sense 11). I. Senses relating to the god. (Usually with capital initial.) the world > the supernatural > deity > classical deity > [noun] > Hermes or Mercury OE Ælfric Homily: De Falsis Diis (Corpus Cambr. 178) in J. C. Pope (1968) II. 686 Þone feorþan dæg hi sealdan, him to frofre, þam foresædan Mercurie, heora mæran gode. OE Ælfric Homily: De Falsis Diis (Corpus Cambr. 178) in J. C. Pope (1968) II. 684 Se Iouis wære, þe hi Þor hatað, Mercuries sunu, þe hi Oðon hatað. OE tr. Pseudo-Apuleius (Vitell.) (1984) lxxiii. 114 Þas wyrte ys sæd þat Mercurius sceolde Iulixe þam ealdormen syllan þa he com to Circean. c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon (Calig.) (1978) 13907 Þe fifte hæhte Mercurius [c1300 Otho Merchurius], þat us þe hæhste ouer us. c1384 (Douce 369(2)) (1850) Deeds xiv. 11 Thei clepiden Barnabas Jouem, Poul sothli Mercurie. a1393 J. Gower (Fairf.) v. 938 An other god..Mercurie hihte..The god of Marchantz and of thieves. c1450 (c1350) (Bodl.) (1929) 667 For Mercurie miche spak to mentaine jangle, Ȝe holden him..god of þe tounge. 1509 S. Hawes 20 Thou Mercury the god of eloquence. 1564 B iiij b Wyne was consecrated vnto Bacchus,..Letters vnto Mercury. 1597 J. Lyly iv. i I will make her false and full of slights, Theeuish, lying, suttle, eloquent; For these alone belong to Mercury. a1616 W. Shakespeare (1623) i. v. 93 Now Mercury indue thee with leasing. View more context for this quotation 1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Æneis i, in tr. Virgil 201 Jupiter..sends Mercury to procure him a kind Reception among the Carthaginians. 1741 W. Warburton II. ii. iv Jupiter, Mercury, Bacchus, Venus, Mars, and the whole rabble of licentious deities. 1782 W. Cowper Conversation in 254 May Mercury once more embellish man. 1820 W. Irving Legend Sleepy Hollow in vi. 84 A round, crowned fragment of a hat, like the cap of Mercury. 1874 T. Hardy II. viii. 95 The whole procession was not unlike Flaxman's group of the suitors tottering on towards the infernal regions under the conduct of Mercury. 1894 Oct. 121 In Irish legendary lore this personage has the place..that Mercury holds in the oldest Hellenic myths. 1928 P. M. Shand iv. 173 Mercurey owes its classical name to a former temple of Mercury. 1991 Winter 1/3 A magnificent..carved limestone chimneypiece, with Apollo and the Muses,..Minerva and Mercury. society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > plastic art > statuary > [noun] > statue > of gods or goddesses society > travel > aspects of travel > guidance in travel > [noun] > that which guides or leads > signpost or stone 1586 T. Bright iii. 9 (As it was wont to be sayd) Mercurie is not made of euery tree. c1660 J. Evelyn anno 1644 (1955) II. 231 A noble fountaine govern'd by a Mercury of brasse. 1668 J. Dryden iv. 42 I stand here, methinks, just like a wooden Mercury, to point her out the way to Matrimony. 1693 G. Stepney tr. Juvenal in J. Dryden et al. tr. Juvenal viii. 150 Those rough Statues on the Road (Which we call Mercuries). a1697 J. Aubrey (1718) II. 92 Here was formerly a Mercury, or Directory-Post for Travellers, with Hands pointing to each Road. 1709 R. Steele No. 89. ⁋11 You may be sure this addition disfigured the statues much more than time had. I remember..a Mercury with a pair of legs that seemed very much swelled with a dropsy. 1732 T. Fuller no. 1410 Every Block will not make a Mercury. 1741 C. Middleton I. ii. 135 The Mercuries..of Pentelician marble, with brazen heads. 1766 H. Brooke II. xii. 241 Have you any more blocks, madam, for the hewing out of our Mercuries? 1854 J. H. Newman iv. i. 220 The agitation created by the destruction of the Mercuries at Athens. a1882 H. W. Longfellow (1884) 165 He sent me something of his making,—A Mercury, with long body and short legs. 1987 17 23 (note) It is worth noting that in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries the word mercury..was..used to signify a signpost or milestone. 3. A person or (rarely) a thing having some of the qualities or roles ascribed to Mercury. society > travel > aspects of travel > guidance in travel > [noun] > one who guides or leads 1592 F. Moryson Let. 24 May in (1617) i. i. ii. 25 The Mercury you gaue to guide me, brought me meat plentifully. 1617 F. Moryson iii. i. 11 God for his onely begotten Sonnes sake (the true Mercury of Trauellers) bring vs that are here strangers safely into our true Countrey. 1641 J. Wadsworth (title) The European Mercury. Describing the Highwayes and Stages from place to place, through the most remarkable parts of Christendome. 1642 J. Milton 26 Others, as the Stoicks, to account reason, which they call the Hegemonicon, to be the common Mercury conducting without error those that give themselves obediently to be led accordingly. society > communication > information > message > [noun] > messenger 1597 W. Shakespeare ii. i. 89 But he poore soule by your first order died, And that a winged [printed wingled] Mercury did beare. View more context for this quotation 1677 T. Baker Let. 15 June in S. P. Rigaud & S. J. Rigaud (1841) (modernized text) II. 31 Mr. Gibbons (the mercury of these) waits on horseback at the door. 1678 W. Sancroft (1694) 131 We give the Winds Wings, and the Angels too; as being the swift Messengers of God, the nimble Mercuries of Heaven. 1813 G. Crabbe Let. 15 Apr. in (1985) 106 A sudden Call of our somewhat-quickened Mercury interrupts me. 1844 R. W. Emerson 2nd Ser. iv. 145 There will always be in society certain persons who are mercuries of its approbation. 1864 7 May 637 These chicken-hearted Mercuries [sc. post-boys] always pulled up in Hammersmith, and drank their pint before they faced the common. 1876 J. T. Trowbridge Tom's come Home in Sept. 552/2 Two light-heeled Young Mercuries fly to the mowing field..and meet half-way The old gran'ther... The good news clears his cloudy face. the mind > possession > taking > stealing or theft > thief > [noun] > nimble or dexterous 1600 B. Jonson i. ii. sig. Civv I would ha' those Mercuries follow me (I trow) should remember they had not their fingers for nothing. View more context for this quotation 1609 sig. B3 There againe my little Mercuries, froath them vp to the brimme, and fill as tis needefull. a1635 T. Randolph ii. iii. 12 Bid. Ile warrant you for drawing a crow'd as Simple passes. Nim. Let me alone for picking his pockets if he be in it. Shir... Fare wel my deare brace of Marcuries. the world > action or operation > advantage > usefulness > use (made of things) > instrumentality > [noun] > intermediate agency > intermediate means > person as 1602 W. Shakespeare ii. ii. 79 Be briefe my good she Mercury. 1638 T. Herbert (rev. ed.) 268 Elgaz-zuli a nimble Mercurie undertakes it, and by miraculous conceits agrees them, and fills up the late made breach. 1749 T. Smollett tr. A. R. Le Sage III. viii. v. 134 I am just on the eve of becoming Mercury to the heir of the kingdom. 1803 1 Aug. 93 He should sound her maid, who..will prove herself a very Mercury in delivering the letters that may be entrusted to her on either side. 1818 Ld. Byron xvi. 9 A letter, Which flies on wings of light-heeled Mercuries. 1864 A. Trollope I. xxxii. 251 I have told him..that I hold myself as engaged to him..I have done it. Mercury, with sixpence in his pocket, is already posting my generosity at Shap. 1953 L. P. Hartley (1958) ix. 102 For I took my duties as a Mercury very seriously, all the more because of the secrecy enjoined on me. 4. society > communication > journalism > journal > newspaper > [noun] society > communication > journalism > journal > newspaper > [noun] > titles of newspapers 1631 B. Jonson Staple of Newes i. v. 23 in II But what sayes Mercurius Britannicus to this?] 1643 No. 1. 5 Oct. 1 Hearing mickle in Scotland of the desperate Differences betwixt our two Brethren-Mercuries..; I come the Mercuri of Scotland, to examine their quarrell, and to try an Accommodation between them. Brother Mercuries, look well to your pens, and be advis'd. 1644 Sir E. Nicholas in T. Carte (1735) III. 279 Whereof your Excellence will find exact relation in the mercuries adjoined. 1656 T. Blount To Rdr. sig. A2v In every Mercurius, Coranto, Gazet or Diurnal, I met with Camizado's, [etc.]. 1664 S. Butler ii. i. 5 With letters hung like Eastern Pidgeons, And Mercuries of furthest Regions. 1691 (title) The Athenian Mercury. Numb. 2. 1725 Stamp-Office Notice 3 Apr. in No. 6362/1 No Journal, Mercury or Newspaper. 1752 New-year Verse (single sheet) in While you a warm Retirement chuse, Your Mercury flies to bring you News, Something that may the tedious Hours amuse. 1807 I. D'Israeli 1st Ser. (ed. 5) I. 263 A Mercury was the prevailing title of these ‘News-Books’. 1855 T. B. Macaulay IV. xxi. 542 No allusion to it [sc. the bill of 1695 for the regulation of the press] is to be found in the Monthly Mercuries. 1906 (title) The Leeds Mercury. 1932 4 618 Wilkes's No. 45 of the North Briton was one of the last newspapers fed to the flames. In earlier days, they had crackled over many mercuries. 1972 M. Russell xiv. 121 We're from the Mercury. Can you tell us anything? society > trade and finance > selling > seller > sellers of specific things > [noun] > seller of books, newspapers, or pamphlets > types of 1648 18 Jan. 31 1048 That thirty thousand of these Peticions were to come forth in print this day and delivered to the Mercuries that cry about Books. 1655 T. Fuller Hist. Univ. Cambr. ii. 24 in Circumforanean Pedlers (ancestors to our modern Mercuries and Hawkers) which secretly vend prohibited Pamphlets. a1716 in J. Nichols (1812) IV. 34 These Mercuries and Hawkers their business at first was to disperse Proclamations, Orders of Council, and Acts of Parliament. 1721 (1722) II. 256 The Croud of Coffee-Men, Mercuries, Pamphlet-Shop-Keepers, and Hawkers. 1984 M. Hunt in P. Mack 47 In the mid-seventeenth century mercuries were, apparently, simply hawkers of pamphlets... By the 1680's, however,..‘mercury’ came to be a gender-specific term for a women [sic] who bought newspapers wholesale from the printer and then either dispersed them to hawkers or sold them retail out of a shop. II. Senses relating to the planet. (With capital initial.) the world > the universe > planet > primary planet > inferior planet > [noun] > Mercury OE Byrhtferð (Ashm.) (1995) ii. iii. 118 Mercurius yrnð twentig wintra his ryne. c1300 St. Michael (Laud) 422 in C. Horstmann (1887) 311 Þanne Mars bi-neopen him, and sethþe þe sonne is; Venus sethþe, þe clere steorre; Mercurius þanne, i-wis, þat wel selden is of us i-seiȝe. a1393 J. Gower (Fairf.) vii. 757 (MED) Of the Planetes the secounde Above the Mone hath take his bounde, Mercurie. c1395 G. Chaucer 703 Mercurie is desolat In Pisces..And Venus falleth ther Mercurie is reysed. (Harl. 221) 333 Mercurye, sterre, mercurius. 1509 S. Hawes (1845) xvi. 74 Fayre golden Mercury, wyth hys bemes bryght. a1542 T. Wyatt (1969) 87 It doth bere the ster that calld is Mercury. a1616 W. Shakespeare (1623) iv. iii. 25 My Father..who being (as I am) lytter'd vnder Mercurie, was likewise a snapper-vp of vnconsidered trifles. View more context for this quotation 1642 J. Howell v. 74 Mercury swayeth ore the one [sc. a Frenchman], and Saturne ore the other [sc. a Spaniard]. 1715 tr. D. Gregory I. i. §83. 190 Because the Orbits of Mercury and Venus..do almost vanish in respect of the Orbit of Saturn. 1753 B. Franklin Let. 28 Feb. in (1961) IV. 448 We are preparing here to make accurate Observations on the approaching Transit of Mercury over the Sun. 1832 W. Macgillivray xxiii. 336 At..Callao, Humboldt had the satisfaction of observing the transit of Mercury. 1880 R. S. Ball 191 The time in which Mercury revolves round the sun is 87 days. 1930 J. H. Jeans (ed. 2) 5 The Copernical view of the solar system required that both Venus and Mercury should exhibit ‘phases’ like those of the moon. 1983 W. K. Hartmann (ed. 2) ii. 14/2 If we try to define planets by size alone, we are confounded by the fact that some satellites are larger than the planets Mercury and Pluto. 1991 C. Mansall iv. 45/2 The whole quality surrounding this house will be amended by the quality of its ruling planet, Mercury. the world > matter > colour > named colours > purple or purpleness > [noun] society > communication > indication > insignia > heraldic devices collective > heraldic tincture > [noun] > colour > purple 1562 G. Legh 18 I will speake of the Planet appropried therto [sc. to the tincture purpure] and that hyght Mercurye. 1572 J. Bossewell ii. f. 57 The field is Mercurie, a Equicerve, of the Moone. 1725 J. Coats (rev. ed.) 234 Mercury, the thieving God of the Heathens, is by those who blazon by Planets, appointed to signify Purpure, or Purple. ?1828 W. Berry I. sig. Eee/1 Mercury, the name of a planet, which, in blazoning of arms by the heavenly bodies, signifies purpure, or purple. 1969 J. P. Brooke-Little vii. 61 Even the planets..are occasionally employed: thus, the sun for gold, the moon for silver..and Mercury for purple... I am not myself aware of any instance of the use of these terms in an English patent of arms. III. Senses relating to the metal. 7. the world > matter > chemistry > elements and compounds > metals > specific elements > mercury > [noun] society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > metal > base metal > [noun] > mercury a1393 J. Gower (Fairf.) iv. l. 2474 (MED) The coper is set to Venus, And to his part Mercurius Hath the quikselver.] c1395 G. Chaucer 772 And in amalgamyng and calcenyng Of quyk siluer, yclept Mercurie crude... Oure orpiment and sublymed Mercurie. a1439 J. Lydgate (Bodl. 263) vii. 1225 (MED) Tyn of Iubiter, crasshyng & dul of soun; Fals and fugitiff is mercurivs. ?c1500 (Digby) 318 Gold perteynyng to þe sonne..þe fegetyff mercury, on-to mercuryus. 1555 R. Eden tr. Peter Martyr of Angleria f. 335v They..amalgame it..with Mercurie or quicksyluer. 1604 E. Grimeston tr. J. de Acosta iv. x. 235 The fume of Mercurie is mortall. 1614 W. Barclay sig. A6v There is no vegetall in the world, hath such affinitie with any minerall, as hath Tabacco with Mercure, or quicke~siluer. 1617 J. Woodall 299 Sublimed Mercury is called onely by the name of Mercury, & by the vulgar speech, some call it white Marcary & Markry. 1700 J. Astry tr. D. de Saavedra Fajardo I. 42 He will have a fancy to fix Mercury. 1758 A. Reid tr. P. J. Macquer I. 49 The Alchymists..bestowed on the seven Metals..the names of the seven Planets of the Ancients... Thus Gold was called Sol, Silver Luna,..and Quick-silver Mercury. 1787 J. Barlow i. 45 Hills, cleft before him, all their stores unfold, The quick mercurius and the burning gold. 1796 R. Kirwan (ed. 2) II. 224 Sometimes brittle, sometimes tough according to the proportion of Mercury principally when triturated. 1854 H. D. Thoreau 323 The largest pond is as sensitive to atmospheric changes as the globule of mercury in its tube. 1858 O. W. Holmes ii. 35 The blood dropped out of her cheeks as the mercury drops from a broken barometer-tube. 1882 A. G. Locke 21 The mercury employed for amalgamation..sickens or ‘flours’ when ground up with pyritous rocks. 1933 43 112 (heading) Elastic scattering of electrons by mercury atoms. 1973 J. Bronowski (1976) iv. 123 The heat drives off the sulphur and leaves behind an exquisite pearl of the mysterious silvery liquid metal mercury. 1991 J. Makower et al. ii. 120 Button-cell batteries—used in hearing aids, calculators, and watches—are economical to recycle because they contain a high percentage of mercury. the world > health and disease > healing > medicines or physic > medical preparations of specific origin > mineral medicine > [noun] > medicine prepared from mercury 1582 J. Hester tr. L. Fioravanti 141 And so the solution of Mercurie shall bee finished, the whiche is miraculous in many infirmities. 1616 Ld. Carew 24 Jan. (1860) 17 A glister was administered vnto him by an apothecaryes boy..in the which there was mercurye and equafortis, which within a few howres dispatched him.] 1617 J. Woodall 299 Sublimed Mercury is called onely by the name of Mercury, & by the vulgar speech, some call it white Marcary & Markry. 1658 G. Starkey 101 As the Devil is fabled not able to hide his cloven foot, so Mercury will still be betraying its..salivating quality. 1676 R. Wiseman Lues Ven. in 8 The methods of Salivating are divers, but all by Mercury. 1722 D. Defoe 38 A Set of Thieves and Pickpockets..poisoned their Bodies with odious and fatal preparations; some with Mercury, and some with other things as bad. 1769 W. Buchan ii. 489 Much mischief..is done by the use of mercury in this disease. 1781 June 427 Seven patients in this disorder treated with mercury. 1817 J. Austen 23 Mar. (1995) 336 Little Harriet's headaches are abated, & Sir Ev:d is satisfied with the effect of the Mercury. 1819 P. B. Shelley 23–4 Jan. (1964) II. 76 I..have been using mercury & Cheltenham salts with much caution and some success. 1861 F. J. Bumstead ii. ii. 401 There is a class of practitioners who abstain from mercury in all cases of primary sore..until secondary symptoms make their appearance. 1903 J. M. Sloan xv. 125 Dr. Bell gave him mercury and solemnly commanded him to abstain from tobacco. 1904 10 Sept. (Epitome) 36 The blood..of syphilitics who have been treated with mercury. 1997 R. Porter viii. 175 For those wary of mercury and seeking gentler specifics, sarsaparilla was recommended. the world > the earth > weather and the atmosphere > weather > study or science of weather > meteorological instruments > [noun] > barometer > parts of 1660 R. Boyle i. 33 The Mercury in the Tube fell down lower, about three inches, at the top of the Mountain then at the bottom. 1698 (Royal Soc.) 20 47 The Height of the Mercury in the Barometer, in Inches and Centesimals. 1704 (Royal Soc.) 24 1629 An Experiment, to show the cause of the descent of the Mercury in the Barometer in a Storm. 1756 C. Lucas i. 44 The mercury falls below 33 degrees of Fahrenheit's thermometer. 1785 T. Jefferson vii. 140 The averaged and almost unvaried difference of the height of mercury..was .784 of an inch. 1825 D. Douglas 1 Jan. (1914) 99 Although the difference of the mercury is trifling, there is always a cooling atmosphere which renders it more supportable and agreeable. 1883 I. L. Bishop in 195/1 The mercury has not been above 83°. 1897 4 June 2/1 People would like to stand in front of the mercury of war and see it rise or fall. 1938 A. Huxley 10 Jan. (1969) 432 Here we sit in the snow, with the mercury, these last days, at twenty below. 1986 17 June 1/1 (heading) Coastal sunshine sends mercury soaring. the world > matter > alchemy > alchemical elements > [noun] > spirit the world > matter > chemistry > elements and compounds > metals > [noun] > substances found in a1456 (a1449) J. Lydgate (1934) ii. 803 (MED) Þalknamystre treteþe..Of sulphur, mercury, of alomys, of sallis, And of þeire sundry generacyouns. a1550 ( G. Ripley (Bodl. e Mus.) f. 43v Mercurie of other mettales essenciall, Is the principle of our stone materiall. 1592–3 G. Harvey New Let. in (1884) I. 294 Three drops of the Mercury of Buglosse will strengthen the brain. 1605 T. Tymme tr. J. Du Chesne Ded. The spirit of the world..moueth..in all creatures, giving them existence in three, to wit—salt, sulphure, and mercury. 1712 J. Browne tr. P. Pomet et al. I. 177 The Mercury of the Manna being brought to the fluid Nature of a Spirit, becomes a Solutive for Minerals. 1723 J. Clarke tr. I. i. xx. 109 Hence they conclude, that these five Substances, viz. Mercury, Phlegm, Sulphur, Salt and Caput mortuum..are the only and the true Elements of all..mixed Bodies. 1728 E. Chambers Mercury of Metals, or of the Philosophers, is a pure, fluid Substance in form of common running Mercury, said to be found in all Metals, and capable of being extracted from the same. 1731 P. Shaw 36 Attempts for procuring the Mercuries of the several Metals, to profit. 1797 XI. 401/2 Mercurification, in metallurgic chemistry, the obtaining the mercury from metallic minerals in its fluid form. 1878 I. 113/2 In addition to the sulphur-and-mercury theory of the metals, drawn from Gebir, he [sc. Albertus Magnus] regarded the element water as still nearer the soul of nature. 1910 I. 521/1 The prima materia was early identified with..the ‘mercury of the philosophers’, which was the essence or soul of mercury freed from the four Aristotelian elements. 1962 M. P. Crosland i. i. 14 Paracelsus..is famous for his theory that the metals are composed of Mercury, Sulphur and Salt. 1995 23 Feb. 669/2 He illuminates Starkey's search for the alchahest, philosophical mercury or universal solvent. the mind > mental capacity > understanding > intelligence, cleverness > wit, wittiness > [noun] the mind > emotion > excitement > excitability of temperament > spiritedness or liveliness > [noun] > mercurial spirits the mind > will > decision > irresolution or vacillation > inconstancy > [noun] > capriciousness the mind > will > decision > constancy or steadfastness > adhere constantly or steadfastly to [verb (transitive)] > make steadfast 1653 J. Wilson et al. i. 4 What way to fix the Mercury of thy ill fixt mind. 1661 O. Felltham (rev. ed.) xliv. 269 The Mercury of youth. 1682 J. Dryden 16 Religion thou hast none: thy Mercury Has pass'd through every Sect, or theirs through Thee. 1693 W. Congreve i. i. 5 As able as your self and as nimble too, though I mayn't have so much Mercury in my Limbs. 1699 B. E. Mercury, Wit. 1704 J. Swift Pref. 17 The Moderns have artfully fixed this Mercury [sc. Wit], and reduced it to the Circumstances of Time, Place and Person. 1710 S. Palmer 200 They are all mercury; and a piece of wit, a bottle, or a jest, is a comfort, and supports 'em. 1713 H. Felton 12 'Tis difficult to fix the Mercury, and settle a brisk, lively Temper in a laborious plodding Track of Learning. a1715 Bp. G. Burnet (1724) I. 265 He [sc. Buckingham] was so full of mercury, that he could not fix long in any friendship, or to any design. 1733 A. Pope ii. 165 'Tis thus, the Mercury of Man is fix'd. a1797 H. Walpole (1847) II. vii. 218 He had too much mercury and too little ill-nature to continue a periodical war. IV. As a plant name. 10. the world > plants > particular plants > plants and herbs > according to family > Euphorbiaceae (spurges and allies) > [noun] > annual mercury a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus (BL Add.) f. 103v And som laxit wiþ gleymynge & makeþ slider, as mercury & hockes & oþir suche. c1425 Edward, Duke of York (Vesp. B.xii) (1904) 55 (MED) Make him a clyster..of Malowes and beetes and of Mercurie, an handfulle of eueryche. ?a1450 (Stockh.) (1950) 177 (MED) Mercurialis is an herbe men clepe Mercurie or papwourtȝ or þe more smerewourt, and it haȝt lewys lyk a tungge, and it beryȝt seed as betys doth. 1548 W. Turner sig. E.iiijv Mercury is as commune about Colon in the gardines, as any weede is commune in gardines in England. 1597 J. Gerard ii. xlvii. 261 The male garden Mercurie hath tender stalks full of ioints and braunches, whereupon do growe blackish leaues. 1724 J. J. Dillenius (ed. 3) 139 Mercurialis annua glabra vulgaris... French mercury the male and female. On the Sea Beach near Ryde in the Isle of Wight plentifully. 1857 R. G. Mayne (1860) Mercurialis Annua, the systematic name of the French mercury; it is said to be gently aperient, and is used in clysters. 1874 R. Brown iii. iii. 330 In some plants the connective spreads..out horizontally, so as to form a little neck..which separates the lobes of the anther considerably from each other. A good example of this is seen in the common mercury. 1960 S. Ary & M. Gregory 62/2 Annual Mercury.This species is a paler green than Dog's Mercury and has smooth, branched stems. 1996 R. Mabey 257/2 Annual mercury, M. annua, is a very similar-looking plant, quite common as a weed on lighter soils. the world > plants > particular plants > plants perceived as weeds or harmful plants > poisonous or harmful plants > [noun] > dog's mercury the world > food and drink > food > fruit and vegetables > vegetables > herb > [noun] > mercury the world > plants > particular plants > cultivated or valued plants > particular food plant or plant product > particular vegetables > [noun] > culinary herbs > allgood c1450 Med. Recipes (BL Add. 33996) in F. Heinrich (1896) 74 (MED) Take malues & mercurye, & seþe hem wyþ a messe of..porke. a1500 in M. R. James (1907) II. 487 (MED) Herbes for a salad..mercury, lang de beuf, broun fenel, dent lyon. 1578 H. Lyte tr. R. Dodoens v. xi. 561 In English, Good Henry and Algood: of some it is taken for Mercurie. 1584 T. Cogan xxix. 45 It is a common prouerbe among the people, Be thou sicke or whole, put Mercurie in thy coole. 1597 J. Gerard ii. 259 English Mercurie, or good Henrie. 1597 J. Gerard Table Eng. Names False Mercurie, that is All good. 1620 T. Venner vii. 144 Mercurie is much vsed among other pot-hearbes. 1633 T. Johnson (new ed.) ii. li. 329 It [sc. English Mercurie] is taken for a kinde of Mercurie, but vnproperly, for that it hath no participation with Mercurie..except yee will call euery herbe Mercurie which hath power to loose the belly. 1731 1 314 Take Marsh Mallow Leaves the Herb Mercury, Saxifrage and Pellitory of the Wall of each..three handfulls. 1785 T. Martyn tr. J.-J. Rousseau xvii. 228 One of the most respectable species is the English Mercury or Allgood. 1857 A. Henfrey 362 Spinach (Spinacia oleracea), Orach (Atriplex hortensis) and English Mercury (Chenopodium Bonus Henricus) belong to this order. 1865 W. White II. 12 One of the dishes contained Mercury, a vegetable which I had never seen before. 1906 J. Vaughan 32 [Good King Henry] is called ‘wild spinach’ in the Isle of Wight... In other districts it is known as ‘mercury’, but the true mercury is Mercurialis annua. 1972 Y. Lovelock 223 Possibly it [sc. Chenopodium bonus henricus] gains the name mercury from the Latin god of medicine. 1995 J. M. Sims-Kimbrey 186/1 Markery, the herb Good King Henry..it is still available, in season, in the old Butter Market in Lincoln city. the world > plants > particular plants > plants perceived as weeds or harmful plants > poisonous or harmful plants > [noun] > dog's mercury 1578 H. Lyte tr. R. Dodoens i. lii. 77 In English wilde Mercury, and Dogges Call. 1607 E. Topsell 501 If you take white Hellebor, and the rindes of wilde Mercury..and lay them in the Mole-hole..it will kill them. 1853 G. Johnston I. 175 Mercurialis perennis. Mercury. the world > plants > particular plants > plants and herbs > according to family > Euphorbiaceae (spurges and allies) > [noun] 1578 H. Lyte tr. R. Dodoens i. lii. 78 Phyllon... The male is called ἀρρενογόνον, whiche may be Englished Barons Mercury or Phyllon, or Boyes Mercury or Phyllon. And the female is called in Greeke θηλυγόνον: and this kinde may be called in English Gyrles Phyllon or Mercury, Daughters Phyllon, or Mayden Mercury. 1633 T. Johnson (new ed.) ii. lii. 333 Male childrens Mercury hath three or foure stalkes, or moe: the leaues be somwhat long, not much vnlike the leaues of the olive tree, couered over with a soft downe or wooll gray of colour. 1853 G. Johnston I. 157 Digitalis purpurea..Fox-glove... Scotch Mercury. Wild Mercury.—Common. 1939 Aug. 220/2 Such are the wood and false nettles..or the lowly bedstraws, clearweeds, pellitories, and three-seeded mercury. 1955 G. Grigson 302 Rabbit's flower, Dev; scabbit-dock, Corn; Scotch mercury, Berw; snapdragon, Dev. the world > plants > particular plants > plants perceived as weeds or harmful plants > poisonous or harmful plants > [noun] > poison ivy 1792 J. Belknap III. 127 Other poisonous plants are the ivy (hedera helix) the creeping ivy, or, as it is called by some, mercury (rhus radicans) the juice of which stains linen a deep and indelible black. 1843 J. Torrey I. 130 Rhus toxicodendron... Poison oak. Poison vine. Mercury. 1910 C. B. Graves et al. 269 Rhus toxicodendron... Mercury. Marcury... A pernicious shrub or vine that is far too plentiful. 1938 (Federal Writers' Project) 13 The three-leaved poison ivy, often called mercury, should be avoided. Compounds1839 H. M. Noad 353 A small short wire used to connect its mercury cups. 1863 2 May 279 The light obtained from incandescent mercury vapor is very inferior to that obtained between pieces of carbon. 1877 Oct. 232 (heading) Lead and mercury poisoning. 1910 I. 881/1 The current can be passed into and out of the movable coil by permitting ends of the coil to dip into two mercury cups. 1955 14 May 308/1 Mercury vapor inside the vacuum tube gives the glow as its atoms are excited by impinging electrons. 1990 June 477/1 By 1828 Paganini had failing eyesight, deteriorating handwriting etc. as a result of ‘Hatter's Shakes’,—a form of mercury poisoning. C2. the world > matter > light > artificial light > an artificial light > artificial light defined by light-source > electric light > [noun] > arc light > mercury vapour lamp 1906 24 372 The constant current mercury arc rectifier system, as used for operating..mercury arc lamps..is sketched diagrammatically. 1936 F. J. Teago & J. F. Gill ii. 13 Steel containers are used for demountable mercury arcs of large output. 1999 85 7076 An alternating current (ac) high-pressure mercury arc has been experimentally investigated. 1906 24 372 The constant current mercury arc rectifier system, as used for operating..mercury arc lamps..is sketched diagrammatically. 1950 L. E. Hawker vi. 191 Aerial mycelium of Glomerella cingulata..was killed by 15 seconds' exposure to a mercury-arc lamp at 21 cm. distance. 1999 B. 68 52 The process uses a 0.5 M KOH solution with illumination provided by a mercury arc lamp emitting at 365 nm. the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > electricity > electrical engineering > rectifier > [noun] > types of 1906 24 372 The constant current mercury arc rectifier system, as used for operating..mercury arc lamps..is sketched diagrammatically. 1930 24 Jan. 109/3 A 650-volt direct-current supply from mercury arc rectifiers. 1990 12 July 30/3 The other Class 83s suffered from persistent failures which could be traced back to problems with their original mercury-arc rectifiers. 1889 45 285 The coil is worked by a slow mercury break. 1920 (ed. 4) 123 The motor mercury break effects the rapid interruption of the current in the primary by means of a fine mercury jet playing on a rotating toothed wheel. When a tooth is in line with the jet, the circuit is made; when a space is in line, the circuit is broken. 1941 S. R. Roget (ed. 4) 227/2 Mercury Break or Interrupter, a contact-breaker for induction coils in which contact is made between moving metallic contacts and a jet of mercury provided by a small centrifugal pump driven by the same motor as the contacts. the world > matter > chemistry > elements and compounds > metals > specific elements > mercury > [noun] > compounds 1904 Oct.–Dec. 199 The flame from the mercury fulminate..ignites the charge of explosive contained in..the case. 1945 (Industr. ed.) 37 666/2 Increasing the weight of charge in a mercury fulminate detonator..is not nearly so effective as substituting a composition having a higher rate of detonation. 1973 L. Russell xii. 150 The hammer [of a gun] was reduced to a simple head, designed to strike the top of the copper [percussion] cap. Under this top was a pinch of mercury fulminate, a compound so unstable that a moderate impact causes it to explode. society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > ornamental art and craft > gilding and silvering > [noun] > gilding > methods of 1870 Apr. 107 For mercury gilding, fine gold..is useless, it dissolves so badly; an alloy of gold and copper..must be employed. 1960 R. G. Haggar 207/1 Mercury-gilding came in about 1780, and consisted of a mixture of gold with mercury which could be painted onto the ware, the mercury being driven off as a vapour during the firing process. 1971 10 June 1419/2 This mercury gilding was harder, longer wearing and more brilliantly lustrous than honey gilding, but tended to display a brassy tinge. the world > food and drink > food > fruit and vegetables > vegetables > herb > [noun] > mercury the world > plants > particular plants > cultivated or valued plants > particular food plant or plant product > particular vegetables > [noun] > culinary herbs > allgood 1853 9 July 36/1 Mercury Goose-foot..It is also called All-good. 1972 Y. Lovelock 223 Mercury goosefoot (C. bonus henricus), best known by the name good King Henry, was once very widely cultivated as a vegetable and pot-herb both in Europe and in North America. the world > matter > light > artificial light > an artificial light > artificial light defined by light-source > electric light > [noun] > arc light > mercury vapour lamp 1903 15 Jan. 248/1 The Hewitt Mercury Lamp and Static Converter. 1966 H. Hewitt & A. S. Vause xviii. 276 Mercury lamps are used for street lighting and to a limited extent in industrial installations. 1992 Mar. 13/1 His light comes not from the sun but from a mercury lamp not much larger than a pocketknife. the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > electricity > electrical engineering > rectifier > [noun] > types of > mercury used in 1907 W. S. Franklin & W. Esty II. ix. 172 The mercury-arc rectifier consists essentially of a highly exhausted glass bulb..with two iron or graphite electrodes..and the mercury-pool electrode. 1956 11 Feb. 267/2 Industrially, the polarograph is finding an ever-increasing application as a continuous service indicator. For such purposes, the mercury-pool anode is unsatisfactory. 1970 J. Shepherd et al. (ed. 2) xxv. 799 The connexions apply equally to 3- and 6-anode mercury-arc rectifiers in which case all the ‘cathodes’ are common and are in fact the mercury pool. 1967 46 649/1 Some standard mercury porosimetry procedures have been available for many years. 1984 J. Pennington in C. A. Heaton viii. 297 Information on the size distribution of larger pores can be obtained by forcing mercury into the pores, a technique known as mercury porosimetry. 1997 120 340 Surface areas and pore volumes of the different materials prepared are determined by N2 adsorption at 77 K and mercury porosimetry techniques. 1869 W. Airy (title) The spiral pump applied as a force pump, a suction pump, or a mercury pump. 1873 E. Atkinson tr. A. Ganot (ed. 6) 147 Morren's mercury pump..a mercurial air pump. 1936 Dec. 365/2 The invention of the mercury pump led to many important discoveries. 1971 R. S. Foley 9 The mercury pump operates at 7800 rpm with 400 Hz, 120/208-volt, three-phase input power. society > authority > office > symbol of office or authority > [noun] > staff or rod > carried by ancient Greek or Roman herald 1625 F. Bacon (new ed.) 18 Therefore it is most necessary, that..all Learnings,..as by their Mercury Rod; doe damne and send to Hell, for euer, those Facts and Opinions. 1690 N. Lee v. v. 52 All Churches.., Kings..[and] All Learning, Christian, Moral, and Prophane, Shall by the virtue of their Mercury Rod For ever damn to Hell those curs'd Designs That with Religion's Face to ruin tend. the world > plants > particular plants > plants perceived as weeds or harmful plants > poisonous or harmful plants > harmful or parasitic fungi > [noun] > causing disease in plants > rust-fungus 1864 3 336 Mercury Rust (Uredo confluens) on leaf of Mercurialis perennis. society > travel > aspects of travel > guidance in travel > [noun] > that which guides or leads > signpost or stone the world > plants > particular plants > cultivated or valued plants > particular cultivated or ornamental plants > particular flower or plant esteemed for flower > [noun] > lily and allied flowers > bluebell and allied flowers > autumn crocus 1589 J. Rider 1748 An hearb called Mercuries finger, Hermodactylus. 1607 E. Topsell 555 The hearb called Mercuries-fingers or Dogges-bane. 1640 E. Reynolds (1647) xxiv. 245 Precedents having the same precedence to Reason in vulgar judgements, which a living and accompanying guide hast to a Mercuries finger in a Travellers conceit. 1681 Table of Hard Words in S. Pordage tr. T. Willis Hermodactils, or mercuries finger, white and red. society > travel > aspects of travel > guidance in travel > [noun] > that which guides or leads > signpost or stone society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > plastic art > statuary > [noun] > statue > of gods or goddesses 1684 tr. T. Bonet Pref. 1 Mercury's Statue was placed in the Cross-ways, to guide Men in the right way, and to reduce them that were out. 1689 T. Shadwell ii. 15 Eh, mon dieu! Quel fascheux; Ex quovis ligno, &c. Mercury's Statue Is not made of every Wood. 1856 W. A. Miller II. 1014 The two sulphides of mercury, Hg2S and HgS, correspond in composition to the oxides and chlorides. The Subsulphide of Mercury (Hg2S..) is scarcely more stable than the suboxide of the metal... Sulphide of Mercury, or Cinnabar (HgS..) is the most abundant ore of mercury.] 1875 28 1001 (title) Formation of red mercury sulphide. 1992 C. Willis iii. xxvii. 343 There was a little pouch of powdered mercury sulfide. the world > plants > particular plants > cultivated or valued plants > particular cultivated or ornamental plants > particular flower or plant esteemed for flower > [noun] > bellflowers 1597 J. Gerard ii. 363 Couentrie bels are called..Mercuries violets. 1629 J. Parkinson (1656) 357 We call it generally..Coventry Bels. Some call it Marian, and some Mercuries Violets. 1728 R. Bradley at Mercurialis Mercury's violets, see Coventry Bells. 1864 30 Jan. 536/2 Campanula urticifolia is called Mercury's violet. 1894 56 68 The galvanometer, G, was connected with another mercury switch, C1. 1946 E. Hodgins (1953) xvi. 184 The suave, silent mercury switches in the lighting system. 1993 W. Gibson 85 When this was full to capacity..a mercury-switch in the float-ball triggered a jet-pump. 1978 May 35/1 Low cost moulded glass mercury tilt switches..reduce the labour content by eliminating the costly mouth blowing operation of conventional switches. 1983 P. Muldoon 53 The local councillor..upsets the delicate balance of a mercury-tilt boobytrap. 1990 18 May 2/7 The Semtex bomb..had been..fitted with a mercury-tilt detonator. the world > matter > light > artificial light > an artificial light > artificial light defined by light-source > electric light > [noun] > arc light > mercury vapour lamp 1904 2 The light given out is similar to that which is given by an ordinary mercury vapour lamp. 1943 J. B. Priestley i. 2 The factory inside is..lit with innumerable mercury-vapour lamps that produce a queer greenish-white mistiness of light. 1955 E. B. Ford i. 15 Owing to the high power and surface-brightness of a mercury-vapour lamp, such a source may provide a more efficient means of collecting than an ordinary light. 1994 Autumn 7 In the eerie blue light from the mercury-vapour lamp, the croissants took on a Daliesque look. 1914 S. Lewis i. 5 Though he sat under the weary unnatural brilliance of a mercury-vapour light, he dashed into his work. 1997 July 24/3 One kind of light, however, does not look so good [in colour photographs]: the greenish cast created by fluorescent and mercury vapor lights in office towers and streetlights. society > occupation and work > equipment > pump > [noun] > pumps for producing vacua 1926 J. H. Smith tr. L. Dunoyer i. 42 In mercury vapour pumps the size of the orifice through which the vapour is driven is..of secondary importance. 1966 H. Adam & J. Edwards tr. K. Diels & R. Jaeckel i. vi. 90 Special forms of cold traps with maximum practicable conductivity have been designed for large mercury vapour pumps. the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > electricity > electrical engineering > rectifier > [noun] > types of 1908 M. Solomon xi. 283 This property of the mercury-vapour arc has led to the invention and development of mercury-vapour rectifiers. 1966 R. G. Kloeffler ix. 194 The mercury-vapor rectifier diode uses a hot cathode and mercury vapor under a low pressure. 1995 4 183 By the 1920s, both the glass-bulb and steel-tank types of mercury-vapour rectifier were sufficiently developed to be used in railway service. 1903 4 Apr. 138/2 The spark-gap of the oscillating cicuit is replaced by a mercury vapour tube in parallel with a condenser. 1966 R. G. Kloeffler ix. 194 In comparison with the vacuum diode, the mercury-vapor tube carries a much larger current. the mind > attention and judgement > beautification > beautification of the person > beautification of the skin or complexion > [noun] > preparations for the skin or complexion > lotions and liquids c1450 (?a1400) (BL Add. 31042) 589 (MED) And multiplye metalles with mercurye watirs. 1616 F. Bacon Speech against Countess Somerset in (1869) XII. viii. 303 As for mercury-water, and other poisons, they might be fit for tarts, which is a kind of hotch-pot. 1634 R. Sanderson II. 291 There is a secret poyson in it, which in time will..seize upon every part; and, like mercury-water or aqua fortis, eat out all. 1636 W. Sampson iv. sig. G4 Good Mother Pratle what is that god Mercury? is it he that makes the white Mercury waters, Ladies scoure their faces withall! 1676 T. Shadwell iii. 55 All manner of Washes, Almond-water, and Mercury-water for the Complexion. 1738 G. Smith tr. ii. 52 Mercury-Water is thus prepar'd: Take Plate-Tin of Cornwall, calcine it, [etc.]. 1753 Suppl. Aqua Mercurialis, a preparation of Aqua-regia, and sublimate of mercury, with a little mercury, placed in a sand heat, till the solution of the mercury be made.] 1830 C. S. Rafinesque II. 184 Acalypha virginica..Mercury weed. Common from Canada to Florida. 1900 A. B. Lyons 10 A. Virginica... Mercury-weed... Reputed expectorant and diuretic. 1935 W. C. Muenscher 319 Mercury-weed... Meadows, pastures, abandoned fields and waste places. 1661 T. Blount (ed. 2) at Hawkers Those people which go up and down the streets crying News-books, and selling them by retail, are also called Hawkers. And those women that sell them by whole-sale from the Press, are called Mercury Women. 1812 J. Nichols IV. ii. 34 We must come down to the reign of King James I..then, if I mistake not, began the use of Mercury-women. 1901 9 595 The ‘Mercury Women’ who helped spread abroad the fledgling news sheets. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2001; most recently modified version published online June 2022). † mercuryv.Origin: Formed within English, by conversion. Etymon: mercury n. Obsolete. rare. the mind > attention and judgement > beautification > beautification of the person > beautification of the skin or complexion > beautify (the skin or complexion) [verb (transitive)] > cleanse or moisturize 1601 B. Jonson i. i. sig. Bv Your palmes..are as tender as..a Ladies face new Mercuried; theyle touch nothing. View more context for this quotation This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2001; most recently modified version published online September 2018). <  n.OE v.1601 |
