English
quicksilver
Quicksilver comes from Middle English quyk silver ‘quicksilver, mercury’, from Old English cwic ‘alive’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʷeyh₃- ‘to live’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʷeyh₃-‘to live’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʷih₃wós‘alive’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*kwikwaz‘alive’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*kwiku‘alive’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150cwic‘alive’
- Old English, derivedc. 450–1150cwicseolforliterally ‘living silver’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500quyk silver‘quicksilver, mercury’
- Englishearliest quotation 1978quicksilver
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʷeyh₃-‘to live’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʷih₃wós‘alive’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*kwikwaz‘alive’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*kwiku‘alive’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150cwic‘alive’
- Old English, derivedc. 450–1150cwicseolforliterally ‘living silver’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500quyk silver‘quicksilver, mercury’
- Englishearliest quotation 1978quicksilver
Earliest quotation: 1978, Kevin Warren, A Flawless Production: “Summer is not the most auspicious season for theater…”
The story
From Middle English quyk silver, quyksilver, quikselver, from Old English cwicseolfor (“quicksilver”, literally “living silver”) (see Latin argentum vīvum) from its ability to move.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *gʷeyh₃- ‘to live’
biology, kidney, vitamin, viable, hygiene, revive, vitality, zodiac, anaerobic, biogenesis, wyvern, 59 more
through Proto-Indo-European *gʷih₃wós ‘alive’
vital, vivid, vive, vivacious, convivial, vivacity, 32 more
through Proto-Germanic *kwikwaz ‘alive’
through Old English cwic ‘alive’
Today it means
noun The metal mercury.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *gʷeyh₃- / quicksilver