Mercurial is an adjective of the noun Mercury; referring to the planet, the God or the element.
Mercurial and mercury
Mercurial.
Having the qualities fabled to belong to the god Mercury; swift; active; sprightly; fickle; volatile; changeable; as, a mercurial youth; a mercurial temperament., Having the form or image of Mercury; -- applied to ancient guideposts., Of or pertaining to Mercury as the god of trade; hence, money-making; crafty., Of or pertaining to, or containing, mercury; as, mercurial preparations, barometer. See Mercury, 2., Caused by the use of mercury; as, mercurial sore mouth., A person having mercurial qualities., A preparation containing mercury.
Mercury. One Mercurial day is 176 Terran (Earth) days.
Mercury was one of the Roman Gods. He was the messanger god.
I think it means relating to Mercury (Hermes) who is the God of Thievery.
Mercurial is a Middle English word that had its origins between 1350 and 1400. Its Latin root is the mercuriālis which refers to someone or something pertaining to the God, Mercury. Common synonyms of mercurial include changeable, erratic, fickle and flighty.
From Anglo-Norman / Old French mercurial, and their source, Latin mercurialis, from Mercurius ("Mercury"), the name of the Roman messenger God who was said to "fly as fleet to do Jupiter's bidding." .
The term mercurial refers to the Roman god Mercury. He was the patron god of profit, commerce, communication, travelers, thieves, luck and trickery, as well as the guide of souls to the underworld.
to check the temperature
Mercury or quicksilver is a liquid metal which runs all over the place when not contained (as in a thermometer) and is therefore difficult to control. Someone who is very quick to change moods or ideas etc. can be described as being mercurial.
The word "mercurial" comes from the name of the Roman god Mercury.