quicksilver
pronunciation
How to pronounce quicksilver in British English:
UK [ˈkwɪksɪlvə(r)]
How to pronounce quicksilver in American English:
US ['kwɪksɪlvər]
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- Noun:
- a heavy silvery toxic univalent and bivalent metallic element; the only metal that is liquid at ordinary temperatures
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- Adjective:
- liable to sudden unpredictable change
Word Origin
- quicksilver (n.)
- Old English cwicseolfor, literally "living silver," translating Latin argentum vivum (source also of Italian argento vivo), literally "living silver;" so called from its liquid mobility. See quick (adj.) + silver (n.). Similar formation in Dutch kwikzilver, Old High German quecsilbar, German quecksilber, French vif-argent, Italian argenta viva.
Example
- 1. For tips on cleaning up a broken cfl , see " concerned about quicksilver . "
- 2. In the diet he comes across as dour . In private his quicksilver manner can charm colleagues or just as quickly destroy them .
- 3. White working-class voters are the quicksilver of american politics : they are hard to catch and hard to hold .