Unpredictable; mercurial: “a quicksilver character, cool and willful at one moment, utterly fragile the next” (Sven Birkerts).
ETYMOLOGY:
Middle English, from Old English cwicseolfor, living silver (translation of Latin argentum vvum) : cwic, cwicu, alive; see gwei- in Appendix I + seolfor, silver; see silver.
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vum) : cwic, cwicu, alive; see gwei- in Appendix I + seolfor, silver; see silver.
