mercury: [14] The Roman god Mercury got his name from his original role as patron of trade and tradesmen: Latin Mercurius was a derivative of merx ‘goods for sale’ (source of English commerce and merchant). The inspiration for the medieval application of the term to the fluid metal was its use as a planet-name, which dates from the classical Latin period. => commerce, merchant
Mercury
"the Roman god Mercury," mid-12c., from Latin Mercurius "Mercury," originally a god of tradesmen and thieves, from merx "merchandise" (see market (n.)); or perhaps [Klein, Tucker] from Etruscan and influenced by merx. Later he was associated with Greek Hermes. The planet closest to the sun so called in classical Latin (late 14c. in English). A hypothetical inhabitant of the planet was a Mercurean (1855) or a Mercurian (1868). For the metallic element, see mercury.
mercury (n.)
silver-white fluid metallic element, late 14c., from Medieval Latin mercurius, from Latin Mercurius (see Mercury). Prepared from cinnabar, it was one of the seven metals (bodies terrestrial) known to the ancients, which were coupled in astrology and alchemy with the seven known heavenly bodies. This one probably so associated for its mobility. The others were Sun/gold, Moon/silver, Mars/iron, Saturn/lead, Jupiter/tin, Venus/copper. The Greek name for it was hydrargyros "liquid silver," which gives the element its symbol, Hg. Compare quicksilver.
双语例句
1. That night the mercury fell to thirty degrees below zero.
那天晚上温度计显示气温降到了零下30度。
来自柯林斯例句
2. Freddie Mercury was a flamboyant star of the British hard rock scene.
弗雷迪·摩克瑞是英国硬摇滚乐界一颗耀眼的明星。
来自柯林斯例句
3. What's the chemical symbol for mercury?
汞的化学元素符号是什么？
来自柯林斯例句
4. Mercury is a known poison.
水银是一种已知的有毒物质。
来自柯林斯例句
5. The liquid we can see in thermometers is mercury.
