LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · masculinesecond declension

Mercurius1

Mercurius m (genitive Mercuriī or Mercurī)
Classical[mɛrˈkʊ.ri.ʊs]Ecclesiastical[merˈkuː.ri.us]

Meaning

  1. RomanmasculineMercury (god of speed and commerce)
  2. masculineMercury (planet)
  3. masculinequicksilver, mercury

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativeMercurius—
genitiveMercuriī
Mercurī		mercuriōrum
dativeMercuriōmercuriīs
accusativeMercuriummercuriōs
ablativeMercuriōmercuriīs
vocativeMercurī
mercurie		—

Mercŭrĭus, ii, m., = Ἑρμῆς,
I. Mercury, the son of Jupiter and Maia, the messenger of the gods; as a herald, the god of dexterity; in speaking, of eloquence; the bestower of prosperity; the god of traders and thieves; the presider over roads, and conductor of departed souls to the Lower World: Mercurius a mercibus est dictus. Hunc etenim negotiorum omnium aestimabant esse deum, Paul. ex Fest. p. 124 Müll.; Cic. N. D. 3, 22 sq.; Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 72, § 185; id. Arat. 277; Caes. B. G. 6, 17; Verg. A. 4, 222; Hor. C. 1, 10, 1; Ov. F. 5, 663 sqq.: stella Mercurii, the planet Mercury: infra hanc autem stella Mercurii est, ea στίλβων appellatur a Graecis, Cic. N. D. 2, 20, 54; so, stella Mercurii, id. Univ. 9; also simply Mercurius, id. Rep. 6, 17, 17: dies Mercurii or Mercuris, Wednesday, Inscr. Murat. 402, 7.—Appel. gen. plur.: Mercuriorum, Tert. Spect. 1, 11 fin.—
B. Transf., the withers of draught-cattle, between the neck and the back (post-class.), Veg. Vet. 2, 59; 4, 3.—
II. In partic.
A. Aqua Mercurii, a fountain in the via Appia, Ov. F. 5, 673.—
B. Tumulus Mercurii, near Carthago nova, Liv. 26, 44.—
C. Promontorium Mercurii, in Africa, in Zeugitana, near Carthage, now Capo Bon, Liv. 29, 27; Plin. 3, 8, 14, § 87.

Origins

Possibly from merx (“merchandise”), or perhaps from Etruscan and influenced by merx.

Descendants
  • CatalanMercuri
  • EnglishMercuryfrom Middle English Mercurie
  • Englishmercuryfrom Middle English Mercurie
  • FrenchMercure
  • GermanMerkur
  • ItalianMercurio
  • PortugueseMercúrio
  • SpanishMercurio
  • Catalanmelcoratgefrom Vulgar Latin *mercuriāgo
  • BulgarianМеркурий

In English words that came into English from Mercurius

  • mercuryMercurius
  • mercurialmercuriālis
  • mercaptanMercurius

In the Academy Smith's classical dictionaries

Biography & mythologyMercuriusMercurius. a Roman divinity of commerce and gain, probably one of the dii lucrii. The character of the god is clear from his name, which is connected …
noun · masculinesecond declension
mercurius2
mercurius m (genitive mercuriī or mercurī)
Classical[mɛrˈkʊ.ri.ʊs]Ecclesiastical[merˈkuː.ri.us]

Meaning

  1. masculinemercury (element)

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativemercuriusmercuriī
genitivemercuriī
mercurī		mercuriōrum
dativemercuriōmercuriīs
accusativemercuriummercuriōs
ablativemercuriōmercuriīs
vocativemercuriemercuriī

Origins

From Mercurius.

In English words that came into English from mercurius

  • mercurymercurius

Quick answers

What does Mercurius mean in Latin?
Mercurius, a noun, means “Mercury (god of speed and commerce); Mercury (planet); quicksilver, mercury”.
What is the genitive of Mercurius?
The genitive singular is Mercuriī. Mercurius is masculine, second declension.
How do you pronounce Mercurius?
In classical Latin, [mɛrˈkʊ.ri.ʊs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [merˈkuː.ri.us].
Which English words come from Mercurius?
English words that go back to Latin Mercurius include mercaptan, mercury and mercurial.