Mercurius regeneratus

Metals minerals and metallic preparations · A Chymical Dictionary

At a Glance

The word. Regenerated mercury defined through its first being.

In the book. Mercurius Crudus concerns a material not separated from its ore, which is a different qualification.

A place to read. The historical definition below, 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 33; facsimile PDF page 361.

Historical Definition

Mercurius regeneratus is the first being of mercury.

Meaning

The definition joins renewal-language to a beginning. It does not state that the referent is simply a new batch of ordinary mercury; it directs the reader to the first being of the named subject. How a particular author relates that beginning to a prior operation must be recovered from the author’s own account.

Use in the Book

Mercurius Crudus concerns a material not separated from its ore, which is a different qualification. Mysterium magnum, meanwhile, speaks of first matter universally. The shared language of beginnings does not make these three definitions coextensive.

Places to Read

Mercurius Crudus. Mercury described before separation from its mineral source.

Mysterium magnum. A universal first matter, rather than one particular prepared subject.

Historical source: 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 33; facsimile PDF page 361 — Facsimile

Sources. A Chymical Dictionary 1650, 1650 dictionary, facsimile PDF page 361, Mercurius regeneratus

See also. Mercurius Crudus; Mysterium magnum