Etymology and origin of the Latin word mercurius
mercurius1 withers
- Confidence
- Unknown
- First attested
- 360 AD, Pelagonius
Pronunciation
Forms
mercurius m (genitive mercuriī); second declension[2][3]
Etymology
The withers word is of unknown origin.[4] The TLL calls it uncertain, unless the word translates a Greek term connected with Hermes, the Greek counterpart of Mercury,[5] and notes that Greek veterinary writers took it over.[5]
Earliest recorded meaning
It is first found in Pelagonius' veterinary work, for the part of a draught animal between the neck and the back, the withers.[5][2][4]
Semantic evolution
Vegetius used it in his book on veterinary medicine, of the withers or spine being rubbed raw by the harness.[5][2][3]
Timeline
- 360 AD – Pelagonius uses it of the withers of draught animals.[5][4]
- c. 400 AD – Vegetius' book on veterinary medicine uses it of the withers.[5][3][4]
Meanings
Noun
mercurius2 quicksilver
- Confidence
- Established
- Formation
- Eponym
- First attested
- 12th century
- Ultimate origin
- Latin Mercurius
Pronunciation
Forms
mercurius m (genitive mercuriī or mercurī); second declension[1]
Etymology
The quicksilver is from Latin Mercurius (“Mercury”), the name of the god and of the planet.[1][4][6] The god's name is possibly from merx (“merchandise”), or perhaps from Etruscan and influenced by it.[1][6] De Vaan derives both from a stem Proto-Italic *merk- (“trade, exchange”), which is also found in Faliscan mercui and Oscan mirikui, both datives naming a deity;[7] Mercury was probably the god of exchange.[7] He also notes Walde and Hofmann's view that the name was borrowed from Etruscan,[7] and Köbler traces it to an Etruscan family deity.[4]
Earliest recorded meaning
Köbler dates the sense “quicksilver” to the 12th century.[4]
Semantic evolution
In medieval alchemy mercurius, also called “son of Mercury”, was the metal mercury, explained as argentum vivum “quicksilver”.[8] The metal was probably linked with the planet because of its mobility, each of the seven metals of the ancients being paired with a heavenly body.[6] English took the word over from Medieval Latin.[6]
Timeline
- 12th century – The sense “quicksilver” is recorded.[4]
- late 14th century – English borrows it as mercury, the metal.[6]
Meanings
Noun
Usage notes
The god and the planet are written Mercurius with a capital; inscriptions also have the old spelling Mircurius.[9]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
- ^ a b c d Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
- ^ a b c d Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
- ^ a b c d e f g Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
- ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
- ^ a b c de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
- ^ a b Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press
- ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
Borrowed into
- English mercury
Cite this entry
“Mercurius.” Etymologically, 24 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/mercurius. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.
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