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Added 9 October 2026

quicksilver

/ˈkwɪkˌsɪlvɚ/ noun

In Latin: hydrargyrum Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about quicksilver 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.

adjective

Liable to sudden unpredictable change.
erratic behavior

Origin

From Middle English quyk silver, quyksilver, quikselver, from Old English cwicseolfor (“quicksilver”, literally “living silver”) (see Latin argentum vīvum) from its ability to move. See quick in the sense of "living". Cognate with Dutch kwikzilver, German Low German Quicksülver, German Quecksilber, Danish kviksølv, Norwegian Bokmål kvikksølv, Swedish kvicksilver. By surface analysis, quick (“living”) + silver.

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

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