mercury
mercury — noun
1. A poisonous metallic element with a shiny silver look that stays liquid at norma
A poisonous metallic element with a shiny silver look that stays liquid at normal room temperature. It was once common in thermometers, though safer materials are now preferred.
The old thermometer contained a small amount of mercury, which could be dangerous if it leaked.
uncountable noun for a chemical substance
Scientists now use safer liquids instead of mercury in most school thermometers.
Caio learned in chemistry class that mercury is one of the few metals that stay liquid at room temperature.
Workers wore special gloves to clean up the mercury spill safely.
- quicksilver
an old poetic or literary name for mercury; rarely used in modern science or everyday English
用法筆記
Frequently used as an uncountable noun. Its chemical symbol is Hg, short for the Latin name hydrargyrum.
常見錯誤
2. The planet in our solar system that is closest to the sun. It has a surface cove
The planet in our solar system that is closest to the sun. It has a surface covered with craters and is the smallest of the eight planets.
Mercury is so close to the sun that its surface can get hot enough to melt lead.
Mercury as a proper noun and planet name
Jisoo pointed her telescope at the evening sky and spotted the tiny dot of Mercury near the horizon.
Because Mercury moves around the sun very quickly, a year on that planet lasts only eighty-eight Earth days.
A spacecraft visited Mercury and sent back images of its grey, rocky surface.
用法筆記
Always capitalised as a proper noun. The Romans named the planet after their messenger god (sense 3) because it moves quickly across the sky.
常見錯誤
3. In ancient Roman stories, the god who acted as a messenger for the other gods an
In ancient Roman stories, the god who acted as a messenger for the other gods and who protected trade, travel, and merchants. He is usually shown wearing a winged hat and sandals.
In Roman mythology, Mercury wore winged sandals so that he could fly quickly between the gods.
proper noun for a mythological figure
The stone statue in the town square showed Mercury holding a staff with two snakes wrapped around it.
Vikram read that traders in ancient Rome prayed to Mercury for success in their business.
Shirin read a story about Mercury carrying a message from Jupiter to a hero on Earth.
- Hermes
the Greek equivalent of Mercury; Hermes has the same role but belongs to Greek mythology
用法筆記
Always capitalised as a proper noun. The Greek equivalent of Mercury is Hermes. The planet Mercury (sense 2) was named after this god.
常見錯誤
4. The silver-coloured line or column inside a thermometer that rises or falls to i
The silver-coloured line or column inside a thermometer that rises or falls to indicate the temperature. The word refers to the liquid mercury that was traditionally used in thermometers.
Mira checked the mercury in the outdoor thermometer and saw that it had dropped below zero.
the mercury + dropped / rose for temperature change
The doctor tapped the thermometer gently to bring the mercury back down before taking a new reading.
During the summer heatwave, the mercury stayed above thirty degrees for an entire week.
The nurse checked the mercury in the thermometer before telling the patient his temperature.
用法筆記
Used with verbs of movement such as 'rise', 'drop', 'fall', and 'climb' to describe changes in temperature. This is a metonym — the substance (mercury) stands for the measurement it shows.