Content deleted Content added
m →Etymology: + wikt link |
m →Etymology: + wikt link |
||
Line 121:
==Etymology==
[[File:Mercury symbol (fixed width).svg|thumb|upright=0.55|The symbol for [[Mercury (planet)|the planet Mercury]] (☿) has been used since ancient times to represent the element]]
"Hg" is the modern [[chemical symbol]] for mercury. It is an abbreviation of {{lang|la|hydrargyrum}}, a [[Romanization of Greek|romanized]] form of the [[ancient Greek]] name for mercury, {{wikt-lang|grc|ὑδράργυρος}} ({{transliteration|grc|hydrargyros}}). {{transliteration|grc|Hydrargyros}} is a Greek compound word meaning "water-silver", from {{lang|grc|ὑδρ}}- ({{transliteration|grc|hydr}}-), the root of {{wikt-lang|grc|ὕδωρ}} ({{transliteration|grc|hydor}}) "water", and {{wikt-lang|grc|ἄργυρος}} ({{transliteration|grc|argyros}}) "silver".<ref name="etym" /> Like the English name [[wikt:quicksilver|quicksilver]] ("living-silver"), this name was due to mercury's liquid and shiny properties.<ref>{{cite book|url=http://www.websters1913.com/words/Quicksilver|title=Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
|location = Springfield, Mass.
|publisher = [[Merriam-Webster|G. & C. Merriam]]
| |||