quicksilvery

quick·sil·ver

[kwik-sil-ver]
noun
1.
the metallic element mercury.
verb (used with object)
2.
to amalgamate (metal) with mercury.
Origin:
before 1000; Middle English qwyksilver, Old English cwicseolfor (translation Latin argentum vīvum) literally, living silver

Related forms
quick·sil·ver·y, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
quicksilver (ˈkwɪkˌsɪlvə) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—n
1.  another name for mercury
 
—adj
2.  rapid or unpredictable in movement or change: a quicksilver temper
 
[Old English, from cwicu alive (see quick) + seolfer silver]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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00:10
Quicksilvery is always a great word to know.
So is flibbertigibbet. Does it mean:
a chattering or flighty, light-headed person.
a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

quicksilver
O.E. cwicseolfor, translating L. argentum vivum (cf. It. argento vivo), lit. "living silver;" so called from its liquid mobility. See quick + silver.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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