mercurial vs quicksilver

mercurial

noun
  • A chemical compound containing mercury. 

  • A person born under the influence of the planet Mercury; hence, a person having an animated, lively, quick-witted or volatile character. 

  • A preparation of mercury, especially as a treatment for syphilis. 

adj
  • Of or pertaining to the element mercury or quicksilver; containing mercury. 

  • Caused by the action of mercury or a mercury compound. 

  • Pertaining to the astrological influence of the planet Mercury; having the characteristics of a person under such influence (see adjective sense 1). 

  • Pertaining to Mercury, the Roman god of, among other things, commerce, financial gain, communication, and thieves and trickery; hence (comparable), money-making; crafty. 

  • Pertaining to the planet Mercury. 

  • Having a lively or volatile character; animated, changeable, quick-witted. 

quicksilver

noun
  • The metal mercury. 

  • An amalgam of mercury and tin applied to the backs of mirrors, quicksilvering. 

verb
  • To overlay with quicksilver. 

  • To treat with quicksilver. 

adj
  • Unpredictable, erratic or fickle; mercurial. 

How often have the words mercurial and quicksilver occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )