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MERCURY
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I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Temperature measured by a mercury thermometer
Example:
the mercury was falling rapidly
Classified under:
Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects
Hypernyms ("mercury" is a kind of...):
temperature (the degree of hotness or coldness of a body or environment (corresponding to its molecular activity))
Sense 2
Meaning:
The smallest planet and the nearest to the sun
Classified under:
Nouns denoting natural objects (not man-made)
Instance hypernyms:
inferior planet (any of the planets whose orbit lies inside the earth's orbit)
terrestrial planet (a planet having a compact rocky surface like the Earth's; the four innermost planets in the solar system)
Holonyms ("Mercury" is a member of...):
solar system (the sun with the celestial bodies that revolve around it in its gravitational field)
Sense 3
Meaning:
(Roman mythology) messenger of Jupiter and god of commerce; counterpart of Greek Hermes
Classified under:
Instance hypernyms:
Roman deity (a deity worshipped by the ancient Romans)
Domain category:
Roman mythology (the mythology of the ancient Romans)
Derivation:
Mercurial (relating to or having characteristics (eloquence, shrewdness, swiftness, thievishness) attributed to the god Mercury)
Sense 4
Meaning:
A heavy silvery toxic univalent and bivalent metallic element; the only metal that is liquid at ordinary temperatures
Synonyms:
atomic number 80; Hg; hydrargyrum; mercury; quicksilver
Classified under:
Hypernyms ("mercury" is a kind of...):
metal; metallic element (any of several chemical elements that are usually shiny solids that conduct heat or electricity and can be formed into sheets etc.)
Holonyms ("mercury" is a substance of...):
cinnabar (a heavy reddish mineral consisting of mercuric sulfide; the chief source of mercury)
calomel; mercurous chloride (a tasteless colorless powder used medicinally as a cathartic)
Derivation:
mercurial (relating to or containing or caused by mercury)
mercuric; mercurous (of or containing mercury)
Context examples:
Mersalyl acid has been replaced by less toxic non-mercury containing diuretics.
(Mersalyl, NCI Thesaurus)
Mercury ion requiring two electrons to return to its elemental state.
(Hg2+, NCI Thesaurus/CRCH)
Mercury ion requiring one electron to return to its elemental state.
(Hg+, NCI Thesaurus/CRCH)
Methionine chelates heavy metals, such as lead and mercury, aiding their excretion.
(Methionine, NCI Thesaurus)
A metal chelating agent that is used as an antidote in arsenic, gold, lead, mercury and other heavy metal poisoning.
(Dimercaprol, NCI Thesaurus)
An alloy, typically a mix of silver, tin, and mercury, used in direct dental restorations.
(Amalgam, NCI Thesaurus)
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommends that children and women of childbearing age eat two to three weekly servings of fish low in mercury as part of a healthy diet.
(Brain benefits of aerobic exercise lost to mercury exposure, NIH)
There are signs of contamination through mercury, which makes an impact on the fauna and the local population.
(Report unveils 381 new plant and animal species in Amazon, Agência Brasil)
On Sept. 2, the small body crossed under the ecliptic plane just inside of Mercury's orbit and then made its closest approach to the Sun on Sept. 9.
(Small Asteroid or Comet 'Visits' from Beyond the Solar System, NASA)
In the case of the Solar System, this will include Mercury, Venus, and even Earth, which will all be consumed by the red-giant Sun in about 5 billion years.
(First Giant Planet around White Dwarf Found, ESO)
