Mercury

How to spell mercury

7 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce mercury

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does mercury mean?

1. nounA heavy, silvery liquid metal used in some thermometers, switches, and industrial processes.
2. nounThe smallest planet in the solar system and the closest one to the sun.

Mercury in a sentence

• The old thermometer contained a thin column of mercury.

• The probe took years to reach the orbit of mercury.

• Workers wore protective gear because mercury vapour is toxic.

• Surface temperatures on mercury swing wildly between day and night.

Where does mercury come from?

Language of origin: Latin

The word comes from the Latin Mercurius, the name of the Roman god of commerce, travel, and messages, whose name is thought to derive from merx, meaning 'merchandise' or 'goods', reflecting his role as patron of traders. Medieval alchemists named the silvery liquid metal after this god because it was so quick and slippery to handle, the same restless quality the swift messenger god was famous for; this is also why the metal kept its older nickname 'quicksilver'. The fast-moving planet nearest the sun was likewise named for the god who could move rapidly between the worlds. English adopted the word in the 1300s, first for the planet and the metal, drawing directly on the Latin form. The spelling preserves the Latin -ur- of Mercurius, which is the part writers most often slip on when they expect an -er- sound instead.

How the word is built

• mercur- (from Latin Mercurius, the Roman god)
• -y (noun-forming ending)