mercurial

Definitions


[məːˈkjʊərɪəl], (Adjective)

Definitions:
- subject to sudden or unpredictable changes of mood or mind
(e.g: his mercurial temperament)

- of or containing the element mercury
(e.g: gels containing organic mercurial compounds)

- of the planet Mercury


Phrases:

Origin:
late Middle English (in mercurial): from Latin mercurialis ‘relating to the god Mercury’, from Mercurius ‘Mercury’. mercurial dates from the mid 17th century


[məːˈkjʊərɪəl], (Noun)

Definitions:
- a drug or other compound containing mercury
(e.g: for twenty years organic mercurials were the most potent diuretics in clinical use)


Phrases:

Origin:
late Middle English (in mercurial): from Latin mercurialis ‘relating to the god Mercury’, from Mercurius ‘Mercury’. mercurial dates from the mid 17th century




definition by Oxford Dictionaries