Merciful
(Mer"ci*ful) a. [Mercy + - ful.]
1. Full of mercy; having or exercising mercy; disposed to pity and spare offenders; unwilling to punish.
The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious.
Ex. xxxiv. 6.
Be merciful, great duke, to men of mold.
Shak. 2. Unwilling to give pain; compassionate.
A merciful man will be merciful to his beast.
Old Proverb. Syn. — Compassionate; tender; humane; gracious; kind; mild; clement; benignant.
— Mer"ci*ful*ly, adv. — Mer"ci*ful*ness, n.
Mercify
(Mer"ci*fy) v. t. To pity. [Obs.] Spenser.
Merciless
(Mer"ci*less), a. Destitute of mercy; cruel; unsparing; — said of animate beings, and also, figuratively,
of things; as, a merciless tyrant; merciless waves.
The foe is merciless, and will not pity.
Shak. Syn. — Cruel; unmerciful; remorseless; ruthless; pitiless; barbarous; savage.
— Mer"ci*less*ly, adv. — Mer"ci*less*ness, n.
Mercurammonium
(Mer`cur*am*mo"ni*um) n. [Mercuric + ammonium.] (Chem.) A radical regarded
as derived from ammonium by the substitution of mercury for a portion of the hydrogen.
Mercurial
(Mer*cu"ri*al) a. [L. mercurialis, fr. Mercurius Mercury: cf. F. mercuriel.]
1. Having the qualities fabled to belong to the god Mercury; swift; active; sprightly; fickle; volatile; changeable; as,
a mercurial youth; a mercurial temperament.
A mercurial man
Who fluttered over all things like a fan.
Byron. 2. Having the form or image of Mercury; — applied to ancient guideposts. [Obs.] Chillingworth.
3. Of or pertaining to Mercury as the god of trade; hence, money-making; crafty.
The mercurial wand of commerce.
J. Q. Adams. 4. Of or pertaining to, or containing, mercury; as, mercurial preparations, barometer. See Mercury, 2.
5. (Med.) Caused by the use of mercury; as, mercurial sore mouth.
Mercurial
(Mer*cu"ri*al), n.
1. A person having mercurial qualities. Bacon.
2. (Med.) A preparation containing mercury.
Mercurialist
(Mer*cu"ri*al*ist), n.
1. One under the influence of Mercury; one resembling Mercury in character.
2. (Med.) A physician who uses much mercury, in any of its forms, in his practice.
