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Sulphur rerum
Metals minerals and metallic preparations · A Chymical Dictionary
At a Glance
The word. The sulphur of things used as a name for their quintessence.
In the book. Quintessentia describes spiritual matter extracted corporeally from living things and raised toward purity by removing impurities.
A place to read. The historical definition below, 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 44; facsimile PDF page 372.
Historical Definition
Sulphur rerum is often taken to mean the quintessence of things.
Meaning
Often records a recurrent usage without making it universal. The headword’s sulphur can name the quintessence of the thing under discussion, rather than always referring to the mineral named simply as sulphur.
Use in the Book
Quintessentia describes spiritual matter extracted corporeally from living things and raised toward purity by removing impurities. The cross-reference gives the reader a substantive account of the target concept. It also makes clear why identifying this sulphur requires the subject and context of the passage.
Resina terræ offers a contrasting local gloss: there the dictionary directly equates a compound name with sulphur. The present entry moves the other way, using sulphur as a name for quintessence. The direction of each definition matters.
Places to Read
Quintessentia. A purified spiritual matter obtained from living things.
Resina terræ. An earth resin name for sulphur.
Sulphur vitriolatum. A vitriol-derived sulphur described as floating on water.
In This Edition
The qualifier rerum and the usage marker often are both retained. They keep the broader interpretive sense distinct from an unrestricted modern chemical equation.
Historical source: 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 44; facsimile PDF page 372 — Facsimile
See also. Quintessentia; Resina terræ; Sulphur vitriolatum