A Chymical Dictionary

Cementum

Operations instruments and practitioners · A Chymical Dictionary

At a Glance

The word. A dry metal-working operation using salts or similar materials.

In the book. Cineritium and Regale provide related cement vocabulary.

A place to read. The historical definition below, 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 16; facsimile PDF page 344.

Historical Definition

Cementum is a dry corrosion in which a metallic body is calcined with salts or other drying materials.

Meaning

The definition explains the term through a process, even though the name may look like an ordinary material noun. A metallic body is acted upon; salts or other drying things participate; calcination and dry corrosion describe the change. The distinction between the metal and the assisting materials should remain visible.

“Dry” is significant beside the dictionary’s corrosive-liquor vocabulary. The entry does not define every corrosion as a liquid treatment. Nor does it name a single metal or mixture that must always be used. A historical recipe must supply those details.

Use in the Book

Cineritium and Regale provide related cement vocabulary. Aqua corrodens supplies a useful contrasting entry for corrosive liquids. Together they help the reader distinguish a broad action from particular materials and arrangements used to produce it.

Places to Read

Cineritium. A cement associated with gold or silver, also named Regale.

Regale. A cement used in the purification of gold.

Aqua corrodens. A liquid category defined by corrosive action, including vinegar.

Historical source: 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 16; facsimile PDF page 344 — Facsimile

Sources. A Chymicall Dictionary (1650), s.v. Cementum ; compare Cineritium, Regale, Aqua corrodens

See also. Cineritium; Regale; Aqua corrodens