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Caput corvi
Metals minerals and metallic preparations · A Chymical Dictionary
At a Glance
The word. A raven-head expression identified with antimony.
A place to read. The historical definition below, 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 14; facsimile PDF page 342.
Historical Definition
Caput corvi is antimony.
Meaning
The dictionary itself decodes this figurative name. Its immediate value is recognition: a passage may use the image where another uses Stibium or antimony. The entry does not explain the image’s origin or supply a preparation, so a more elaborate colour or stage interpretation would require the actual passage.
Caput mortuum is a different head-expression with a different definition, concerning residue after distillation or sublimation. The shared first word is not sufficient reason to identify the two materials.
Places to Read
Stibium. A historical name equated with antimony.
Alcofol. A variant-name entry identifying stibium or antimony.
Caput mortuum. The material left behind by distillation or sublimation.
Historical source: 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 14; facsimile PDF page 342 — Facsimile
Sources. A Chymicall Dictionary (1650), s.v. Caput corvi ; compare Stibium, Alcofol, Caput mortuum
See also. Stibium; Alcofol; Caput mortuum