mercurous

[ mer-kyoor-uhs, mur-kyer-uhs ]

adjectiveChemistry.
  1. containing univalent mercury, Hg+1 or Hg2+2.

Origin of mercurous

1
First recorded in 1860–65; mercur(y) + -ous

Words Nearby mercurous

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use mercurous in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for mercurous

mercurous

/ (ˈmɜːkjʊrəs) /


adjective
  1. of or containing mercury in the monovalent state; denoting a mercury(I) compound. Mercurous salts contain the divalent ion Hg² 2 +

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for mercurous

mercurous

[ mər-kyurəs, mûrkyər-əs ]


  1. Containing mercury, especially mercury with a valence of 1. Compare mercuric.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.