Part of Speech Project

 "Mercurial"

           Mercurial is used as an adjective, or the word that describes a noun, in the sentence. Its definition includes “characterized by rapid and unpredictable changeableness in mood.” (Merriam Webster) The word mercurial is more than just fun to say, the root word in mercurial is mercury, like the planet and the element used in older thermometers. This should not come as a surprise considering the one valuable property of mercury for use in thermometers was the way mercury is subject to change rapidly with temperature. Therefore, a mercurial person is subject to rapid changes in mood or temperament. The word mercurial was incorporated into the English language in the 14^th century, having derived from the Latin word “mercurialis,” meaning “relating to mercury.” Some synonyms of mercurial include moody, short-tempered, and unstable. Perhaps the only recognized quote with the word mercurial is the following quote by Tennessee Williams;                   “The world is violent and mercurial--it will have its way with you. We are saved only by love--love for                   each other and the love that we pour into the art we feel compelled to share: being a parent; being a                   writer; being a painter; being a friend. We live in a perpetually burning building, and what we must                   save from it, all the time, is love.” In this quote, Williams uses mercurial in a negative way, since it is connected with the word violent. Mercurial is a great choice word to describe the world, since things are constantly changing in unpredictable ways; ways which often disappoint us. Because so many words, or synonyms, fit under the bracket of the word mercurial, it is a wise word which can be used to “sum-up” the different ways of describing something. With an understanding of the one simple word mercurial, one can read Williams’ quote and understand that with that one word, he is calling the world unpredictable, inconstant, unstable, capricious, fickle, inconsistent, mutable, uncertain, and volatile.