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mercurial - Meaning and Examples

Meaning of 'mercurial' (Webster Dictionary)

1 . Mercurial [ a.]
- Having the qualities fabled to belong to the god Mercury; swift; active; sprightly; fickle; volatile; changeable; as, a mercurial youth; a mercurial temperament.
- Having the form or image of Mercury; -- applied to ancient guideposts.
- Of or pertaining to Mercury as the god of trade; hence, money-making; crafty.
- Of or pertaining to, or containing, mercury; as, mercurial preparations, barometer. See Mercury, 2.
- Caused by the use of mercury; as, mercurial sore mouth.
2 . Mercurial [ n.]
- A person having mercurial qualities.
- A preparation containing mercury.

Meaning of 'mercurial' (Princeton's WordNet)

1 . mercurial [ a]
Meaning (1):
- relating to or containing or caused by mercury
Example in sentence:
  • mercurial preparations;
  • mercurial sore mouth
Meaning (2):
- relating to or having characteristics (eloquence, shrewdness, swiftness, thievishness) attributed to the god Mercury
Example in sentence:
  • more than Mercurial thievishness
Meaning (3):
- relating to or under the (astrological) influence of the planet Mercury
Example in sentence:
  • the Mercurial canals
4 . mercurial [ s]
Meaning (4):
- liable to sudden unpredictable change
Example in sentence:
  • a quicksilver character, cool and willful at one moment, utterly fragile the next;
  • erratic behavior;
  • fickle weather;
  • mercurial twists of temperament

Nearby Words:

meracious mercable mercantile mercaptal mercaptan mercaptide mercat mercatante mercator's chart mercature

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