mercurial

Meanings

1. 1
   adj

   relating to or containing or caused by mercury

   Mercurial preparations.

2. 2
   adj

   relating to or having eloquence, shrewdness, swiftness, thievishness characteristics, attributed to the god Mercury

   They had more than Mercurial thievishness.

3. 3
   adj

   relating to or under the (astrological) influence of the planet Mercury

   The Mercurial canals.

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 r...

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