M » mercury › 1828-dictionary.com :: Making the First American Dictionary of the English Language Accessible

Noah Webster's 1828 American Dictionary

February 10, 2012

Project::Noah

It is not only important, but, in a degree necessary, that the people of this country, should have an American Dictionary of the English language; for, although the body of the language is the same as in England, and it is desirable to perpetuate that sameness, yet some differences must exist. Language is the expression of ideas; and if the people of one country cannot preserve an identity of ideas, they cannot retain an identity of language.

SEARCH

(2) Words.

hornmercury
mercury

Webster

KJV

To be ...

These Bibles or ...

... Completed

... Maybe you pick two (KJV vs Young's Literal) if logged in

M › mercury

1828 Definition

MER'CURY, n. [L. Mercurius. In mythology, Mercury is the god of eloquence and of commerce, called by the Greeks Hermes, and his name is said to be formed from merces, or mercor. But in antiquity, there were several persons or deities of this name.]

1. Quicksilver, a metal remarkable for its fusibility, which is so great that to fix or congeal it requires a degree of cold which is marked on Fahrenheit's scale at thirty nine degrees below zero. Its specific gravity is greater than that of any other metal, except platina, gold and tungsten. Under a heat of 660 degrees, it rises in fumes and is gradually converted into a red oxyd. Mercury is used in barometers to ascertain the weight of the atmosphere, and in thermometers to determine the temperature of the air, for which purposes it is well adapted by its expansibility, and the extensive range between its freezing and boiling points. Preparations of this metal are among the most powerful poisons, and are extensively used as medicines. The preparation called calomel, is a most efficacious deobstruent.

2. Heat of constitutional temperament; spirit; sprightly qualities.

3. A genus of plants,the Mercurialis, of several species.

4. One of the planets nearest the sun. It is 3224 miles in diameter, and revolves round the sun in about 88 days. Its mean distance from the sun is thirty seven millions of miles.

5. The name of a newspaper or periodical publication, and in some places,the carrier of a newspaper or pamphlet.

MER'CURY, v.t. To wash with a preparation of mercury.

1913 Definition

Mercury (mercury)
n.	(?)
Mer"cu*ry
[L. Mercurius; akin to merx wares.]

A Latin god of commerce and gain; -- treated by the poets as identical with the Greek Hermes, messenger of the gods, conductor of souls to the lower world, and god of eloquence.

A metallic element mostly obtained by reduction from cinnabar, one of its ores. It is a heavy, opaque, glistening liquid (commonly called quicksilver), and is used in barometers, thermometers, etc. Specific gravity 13.6. Symbol Hg (Hydrargyrum). Atomic weight 199.8. Mercury has a molecule which consists of only one atom. It was named by the alchemists after the god Mercury, and designated by his symbol, ***mercury].

* Mercury forms alloys, called amalgams, with many metals, and is thus used in applying tin foil to the backs of mirrors, and in extracting gold and silver from their ores. It is poisonous, and is used in medicine in the free state as in blue pill, and in its compounds as calomel, corrosive sublimate, etc. It is the only metal which is liquid at ordinary temperatures, and it solidifies at about -39° Centigrade to a soft, malleable, ductile metal.

One of the planets of the solar system, being the one nearest the sun, from which its mean distance is about 36,000,000 miles. Its period is 88 days, and its diameter 3,000 miles.

A carrier of tidings; a newsboy; a messenger; hence, also, a newspaper.

Sir J. Stephen. "The monthly Mercuries." Macaulay.

Sprightly or mercurial quality; spirit; mutability; fickleness.

[Obs.]

He was so full of mercury that he could not fix long in any friendship, or to any design. Bp. Burnet.

A plant (Mercurialis annua), of the Spurge family, the leaves of which are sometimes used for spinach, in Europe.

* The name is also applied, in the United States, to certain climbing plants, some of which are poisonous to the skin, esp. to the Rhus Toxicodendron, or poison ivy.

Dog's mercury (Bot.), Mercurialis perennis, a perennial plant differing from M. annua by having the leaves sessile. -- English mercury (Bot.), a kind of goosefoot formerly used as a pot herb; - - called Good King Henry. -- Horn mercury (Min.), a mineral chloride of mercury, having a semitranslucent, hornlike appearance.

To wash with a preparation of mercury.

[Obs.] B. Jonson.

Noah Says...

Almost all the civil liberty now enjoyed in the world owes its origin to the principles of the christian religion.

History of the United States :: 1832

Patentability and Prior-Art Search

With IP Street, you can do advanced boolean searches smarter and quicker. Additionally, based on our Discover paradigm of Search, Review, Refine, and Iterate we enable you to filter your results and search again.

Browse
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z

Project::Noah

More info ...

The foundation for American Heritage Access [AHA] strives to capture the essence of American culture with an intent to make early American manuscripts accessible to modern society. We believe that the successful future of this country is dependent on honoring and respecting its past. In order to achieve this ideal, several projects will be introduced and executed. The first initiatives of Project::Noah will involve the accessibility of the 1828 American dictionary.

Vision::Reprint

More info ...

The first vision, Vision::Reprint, has an intent to make a modern printing of the first dictionary of the American language available to the public for under $25. The first task, Task::Access, involves the digitizing of the original 1828 dictionary. The dictionary is available in microfilm (American Culture Series, Reel 335.6-336.1, Michigan University Microfilms) at many universities. To digitize the microfilm as a batch process requires a special scanner.

Vision::Redesign

More info ...

The second vision, Vision::Redesign, has an intent to improve the current online accessibility to the 1828 dictionary. Beyond the Task::XML, other tasks related to this Vision::Redesign include identifying features and functionality for this new website. In addition, plugins will be discussed and created to make the dictionary accessible in other ways: iPhone, Google widget, Firefox Add-on, etc.

Vision::Recapture

More info ...

The third vision, Vision::Recapture, has an intent to evoke the importance of Noah Webster in our American Heritage. This vision will manifest itself in a commissioned painting of Noah Webster. The process involved will require the input from concerned Americans. The final commission painting will be derived from initial sketches and digital compositions. Feedback from the community is essential for this vision's success throughout the entire process.

February 10, 2012