quicksilver

[ kwik-sil-ver ]

noun

1. the metallic element mercury.

verb (used with object)

1. to amalgamate (metal) with mercury.

quicksilver

/ ˈkwɪkˌsɪlvə /

noun

1. another name for mercury

adjective

1. rapid or unpredictable in movement or change

   a quicksilver temper

Other Words From

• quicksilver·y adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of quicksilver¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of quicksilver¹

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

Example Sentences

Together, the combination of big target man Withe and quicksilver Shaw alongside him turned Villa first into league champions in May 1981, then European champions in 1982.

From BBC

But one challenge can make the whole exercise feel like quicksilver.

From New York Times

Prosecutors, too, seemed sometimes frustrated by both the quicksilver pace of her answers — she is a fast talker, with little filter — and the consistent objections by the defense, many of which Merchan upheld.

From New York Times

"To see him operating... the speed of thought, his brain was like quicksilver. There was never a dull moment with Steve."

From BBC

Simpson’s trial coincided with the internet becoming an established phenomenon, which would decisively upend the already shrinking world of hard Gutenberg print and lean into the ephemeral, quicksilver phantoms of a digital web.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• capricious
• changeable
• flighty
• temperamental
• unpredictable
• unstable
• volatile