quicksilver

[ kwik-sil-ver ]

/ ˈkwɪkˌsɪl vər /

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noun

the metallic element mercury.

verb (used with object)

to amalgamate (metal) with mercury.

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Origin of quicksilver

before 1000; Middle English qwyksilver,Old English cwicseolfor (translation Latin argentum vīvum) literally, living silver

OTHER WORDS FROM quicksilver

quick·sil·ver·y, adjective

Words nearby quicksilver

quick on the uptake, quick response, quicksand, quickset, quick-setting, quicksilver, quickstep, quick study, quick-tempered, quickthorn, quick time

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use quicksilver in a sentence

I found myself in a grayscale photo of milky clouds and water like quicksilver, interrupted by the odd patch of evergreen and autumn brown.
The Soviets turned the Volga River into a machine. Then the machine broke.|Olga Dobrovidova|December 15, 2021|MIT Technology Review
His performance here is fascinating to watch, with its quicksilver shifts from charming to alarming.
Red Rocket Is a Spiky Comedy With a Fascinating, Magnetic Performance by Simon Rex|Stephanie Zacharek|December 10, 2021|Time
Crystal is a onetime member of the Avengers, and in various storylines is also married to Quicksilver.
Inside Marvel’s Phase 3: How ‘The Avengers’ Cross Paths with Black Panther and the New Superheroes|Marlow Stern|October 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Because she just has a real quicksilver way of thinking and moving through the world.
How Carrie Preston Became The Good Wife’s Favorite Scene Stealer|Kevin Fallon|October 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The end credit scene of Captain America: The Winter Soldier introduces the new Avengers the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver.
A Guide to Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, the Twins Teased at the End of ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’|Rich Goldstein|April 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Aaron Taylor-Johnson, who portrayed the eponymous character in Kick-Ass, will play her brother, Quicksilver.
A Guide to Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, the Twins Teased at the End of ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’|Rich Goldstein|April 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Quicksilver is capable of moving and thinking at incredible speeds, and eventually traveling through time.
A Guide to Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, the Twins Teased at the End of ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’|Rich Goldstein|April 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
With the one quintal that resulted therefrom, they incorporated on the said day one libra of quicksilver.
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume XX, 1621-1624|Various
Even Benny caught the fever of conquering the mischievous water which slipped from their grasp like quicksilver.
The Box-Car Children|Gertrude Chandler Warner
I took out the plug and shook out the little dab of quicksilver, and set my teeth in.
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Complete|Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)
It is intended to measure the weight of the air, therefore the quicksilver in it must be exposed to the pressure of the air.
St. Nicholas, Vol. 5, No. 5, March, 1878|Various
The main elements, he says, are quicksilver and sulphur; and from these all metals and minerals are compounded.
Witch, Warlock, and Magician|William Henry Davenport Adams

British Dictionary definitions for quicksilver

quicksilver

/ (ˈkwɪkˌsɪlvə) /

noun

another name for mercury (def. 1)

adjective

rapid or unpredictable in movement or changea quicksilver temper

Word Origin for quicksilver

Old English, from cwicu alive (see quick) + seolfer silver

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

quicksilver

Origin of quicksilver

OTHER WORDS FROM quicksilver

Words nearby quicksilver

Words related to quicksilver

How to use quicksilver in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for quicksilver

Word Origin for quicksilver