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mercury

Etymology and origin of the English word mercury

History Permalink
Confidence
Uncertain
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
c. 1150
Borrowed from
Latin mercurius
Ultimate origin
Latin (Mercurius)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈmɝ.kjə.ɹi/, /ˈmɝ.kɹi/; /ˈmɜːkjʊ.ɹi/ (UK)[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Medieval Latin mercurius, from Latin Mercurius, the Roman god Mercury,[2][3][4][5] originally a god of tradesmen and thieves, from merx, merchandise (see market),[3][4][6] or perhaps from Etruscan, influenced by merx.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Roman god, herald of the gods: about 1150.[2][3]

Semantic evolution

Mercury was identified with the Greek Hermes, god of eloquence and messenger of the gods.[3][4] The planet nearest the sun is from probably before 1300.[2] The silvery liquid metal, quicksilver, is from the late 14th century, in Chaucer about 1395;[2][3] it was one of the seven metals of the ancients, paired in astrology and alchemy with the heavenly bodies, probably with Mercury for its mobility.[3][6] A messenger is from 1594,[7] and a guide on the road from 1592.[7] Mercury as the temperature shown by a thermometer is a later sense.[8] Mercurial, lively and volatile, is from 1647, originally of those born under the planet (1593).[2]

Timeline

  • c. 1150 – the Roman god.[2]
  • before 1300 – the planet.[2]
  • c. 1395 – the metal.[2]
  • 1594 – a messenger.[7]
  • 1647 – mercurial.[2]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A heavy, silvery-white poisonous metallic element, liquid at room temperature, used in thermometers and barometers; symbol Hg.
  2. The temperature, as shown by a thermometer.
  3. Any of several plants of the genus Mercurialis, such as dog's mercury.
  4. (Mercury) The Roman messenger god, or the planet nearest the sun.

Word family

  • mercurate
  • mercurial
  • mercuric
  • mercurify
  • mercurize
  • mercurochrome
  • mercurous
  • methylmercury

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b Cresswell, Julia (2021), Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  7. ^ a b c Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  8. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Mercury.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/mercury. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

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