mercurial
Meanings
- Any of the plants known as mercury, especially the annual mercury or French mercury (Mercurialis annua).
- A person born under the influence of the planet Mercury; hence, a person having an eloquent, quickwitted, furtive, or volatile character.
- A chemical compound containing mercury.
- A preparation of mercury, especially as a treatment for syphilis.
- Having a lively or volatile character; animated, changeable, quick-witted.
- Pertaining to the astrological influence of the planet Mercury; having the characteristics of a person under such influence (see adjective sense 1).
- Pertaining to the planet Mercury.
- Of or pertaining to the element mercury or quicksilver; containing mercury.
- Caused by the action of mercury or a mercury compound.
- Pertaining to Mercury, the Roman god of, among other things, commerce, financial gain, communication, and thieves and trickery; hence (comparable), money-making; crafty.
- Alternative letter-case form of mercurial.
Pronunciation
Word forms
Etymology
Noun sense 1 (“(obsolete) plant known as mercury”) is from Middle English mercurial (“a plant, probably the goosefoot (Chenopodium); (possibly) dog’s mercury (Mercurialis perennis)”), from Anglo-Norman mercurial, Old French mercurial, or directly from their etymon Latin mercuriālis (“a plant, probably annual mercury (Mercurialis annua)”), short for herba mercuriālis (“(probably) annual mercury”, literally “herb or plant of the god Mercury”). Mercuriālis (“pertaining to the Roman god Mercury”, adjective) is derived from Mercurius (“the Roman god Mercury”) + -ālis (suffix forming adjectives of relationship from nouns). Later adjective and noun uses may have been directly derived from Latin mercuriālis (adjective), whence Middle English mercurial (“under the astrological influence of the planet Mercury”).