Bitumen

Metals minerals and metallic preparations · A Chymical Dictionary

At a Glance

The word. A pitch-like earthly material described through texture and origin.

A place to read. The historical definition below, 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 11; facsimile PDF page 339.

Historical Definition

Bitumen is a kind of slimy mud extracted from water, resembling pitch; it is, as it were, the pitch of the earth.

Meaning

The definition begins with slime or mud and water, then turns to a comparison with pitch. “As it were” marks an analogy. The material is made intelligible through something familiar without the author asserting that every bitumen and every prepared pitch are identical. The texture and origin language should remain part of the explanation.

Asphaltum provides a close comparison, likewise connecting earth, water and a pitch-like substance. Æthna places resin and bitumen in an account of subterranean fire. Together the entries show the dictionary relating material appearance, source and combustibility. These are historical explanatory links, not a substitute for a modern geological identification.

Places to Read

Asphaltum. A pitch-like bitumen identified through its earthly and watery source.

Æthna. An underground fire explained through sulphur, resin and bitumen.

Resina terræ. An earth resin name for sulphur.

Historical source: 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 11; facsimile PDF page 339 — Facsimile

Sources. A Chymicall Dictionary (1650), s.v. Bitumen ; compare Asphaltum, Æthna, Resina terræ

See also. Asphaltum; Æthna; Resina terræ