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The bar tenurah in shabbos transalates mercury as kesef chai. The reason for this is that quick as in quick silver means alive, not quick.
For example calcium oxide is quick lime and calcium hydroxide is slaked lime. People used to believe that there was a spirit living in quick lime (hence it was alive) which was killed (slaked) buy the addition of water and hence the exothermic reaction.
And Mercury was called “quick silver” in just practically every other language that had a word for it for the same reason.
How can I believe what they write about what people used to believe when they get it wrong trying to understand what people today believe?
Great point, HaLeiVi.
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