This is because Hg is an abbreviation of the Latin name of the element, which was hydrargium. With this name the Greeks were referring to the fact that mercury is a silvery liquid at room temperature, rather than a solid like other metals.
We've looked at the three types of heat transfer. Conduction and convection rely on temperature differences; radiation does, too, but with radiation the absolute temperature is important.
Thermal Conductivity. Heat can be transferred in three different ways: convection, radiation and conduction. Conduction is the way heat is transferred in a solid, and therefore is the way it is transferred in a heat sink. Conduction occurs when two objects with different temperatures come into contact with one another.