Minium

Metals minerals and metallic preparations · A Chymical Dictionary

At a Glance

The word. A precipitated lead preparation with an explicit correction of terminology.

In the book. Calx Saturni leads to Minium, joining the planetary name of lead to this prepared product.

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

Historical Definition

Minium is the mercury, or rather the crocus, of lead precipitated.

Meaning

The phrase or rather is part of the definition’s reasoning. The compiler first offers mercury and then prefers crocus as the description of the precipitated lead material. The two words should not be presented as equally unqualified names after that correction has been removed.

Use in the Book

Calx Saturni leads to Minium, joining the planetary name of lead to this prepared product. Orizeum præcipitatum also uses crocus-language in a definition concerned with a treated metal, but its subject is gold.

Places to Read

Calx Saturni. A Saturn-qualified calx identified as minium.

Orizeum præcipitatum. A gold preparation described through the obscure printed form cros.

In This Edition

The correction and the operation of precipitation are both retained; the edition does not replace them with a modern formula.

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

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

See also. Calx Saturni; Orizeum præcipitatum