quicksilver

[ kwik-sil-ver ]
/ ˈkwɪkˌsɪl vər /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR quicksilver ON THESAURUS.COM

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's test, quick study, quick-tempered, quickthorn
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to quicksilver

impulsive, unpredictable, volatile, effervescent, changeable, resilient, erratic, unstable, flighty, capricious, temperamental, buoyant, elastic, expansive, fickle, flaky, flip, gay, inconstant, irregular

Example sentences from the Web for quicksilver

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