Aqua celestina

Salts solvents and liquid preparations · A Chymical Dictionary

At a Glance

The word. A water identified through Mercury.

A place to read. The historical definition below, 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 5; facsimile PDF page 333.

Historical Definition

Aqua celestina is mercurial water.

Meaning

The short definition makes the Mercury association decisive. It does not equate this water with ordinary rain or with every preparation bearing a heavenly name. The distinction becomes especially useful beside Aqua Celestis, which the dictionary defines as rectified wine. Their similarity in spelling can mislead a reader who overlooks the final letters.

For use in a passage, preserve the exact expression and inspect its preparation. Acetum Philosophorum is also described as mercurial water, but shared wording does not by itself prove that every writer intends the same liquid under both names.

Places to Read

Aqua Celestis. Rectified wine described through a heavenly comparison.

Acetum Philosophorum. A philosophical solvent described as a mercurial water and Virgin’s Milk.

Historical source: 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 5; facsimile PDF page 333 — Facsimile

Sources. A Chymicall Dictionary (1650), s.v. Aqua celestina ; compare Aqua Celestis, Acetum Philosophorum

See also. Aqua Celestis; Acetum Philosophorum