Cwicseolfor

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An archaic name for mercury, the silvery liquid metal that is poisonous and flows freely at room temperature
2. Old English term for the heavy, shining liquid metal known today as mercury, used in thermometers and early chemistry
3. The silvery, fluid metallic element once called quicksilver, valued historically for its unusual liquid form

Etymology: Anglo-Saxon writers called the metal "cwicseolfor," joining "cwic," meaning living or alive, with "seolfor," silver. Its bright, restless fluidity made it seem alive, so it was living silver. The compound appears in Old English medical and glossing texts and was likely modelled on Latin "argentum vivum," which means the same thing. Greek had a similar image in "hydrargyros," or water-silver, which gave mercury its chemical symbol, Hg. The Roman messenger god Mercury, known for his quickness, supplied the modern name, which came into use in alchemy. The Old English compound survives mainly in historical texts, while its modern descendant is "quicksilver."