Oleitas rerum

Metals minerals and metallic preparations · A Chymical Dictionary

At a Glance

The word. Oiliness of things interpreted through their sulphur.

In the book. Sulphur rerum is often taken for their quintessence, and Lunaria is the sulphur of Nature.

A place to read. The historical definition below, 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 36; facsimile PDF page 364.

Historical Definition

Oleitas rerum is the sulphur in all things.

Meaning

The definition gives oiliness a place in a general account of the constituents of things. It does not merely name an oil pressed from one plant or a visible grease on a surface. All things makes the statement broad, while sulphur is the constituent through which that breadth is expressed.

Use in the Book

Sulphur rerum is often taken for their quintessence, and Lunaria is the sulphur of Nature. These qualified expressions show how sulphur-language extends beyond an isolated material-name. The precise formulation still matters: Oleitas rerum names sulphur present in things, rather than supplying a recipe for extracting every such constituent.

Places to Read

Sulphur rerum. The sulphur of things used as a name for their quintessence.

Lunaria. Lunar naming applied to Nature’s sulphur.

Historical source: 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 36; facsimile PDF page 364 — Facsimile

Sources. A Chymical Dictionary 1650, 1650 dictionary, facsimile PDF page 364, Oleitas rerum

See also. Sulphur rerum; Lunaria