A Chymical Dictionary

Ovum Philosophicum

Operations instruments and practitioners · A Chymical Dictionary

At a Glance

The word. An egg-shaped glass vessel for philosophical operations.

In the book. Pelicanus supplies another vessel name, defined through circulation, while Pyramis is defined through a pyramidal form.

A place to read. The historical definition below, 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 37; facsimile PDF page 365.

Historical Definition

Ovum Philosophicum is an egg-shaped glass used by philosophers in their operations.

Meaning

The name is explained through the vessel’s form. The glass is shaped like an egg; the definition does not identify a biological egg as the material of the operation.

Use in the Book

Pelicanus supplies another vessel name, defined through circulation, while Pyramis is defined through a pyramidal form. The comparisons distinguish a shape, an operative role and another shape without requiring a single standard vessel design.

Places to Read

Pelicanus. A vessel defined through circulation.

Phiala. A glass bottle or vial.

Pyramis. A vessel identified through its pyramidal form.

In This Edition

The egg image is grounded in the explicit description. Further symbolic readings would need a particular author’s passage; they are not established by this brief instrument gloss alone.

Historical source: 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 37; facsimile PDF page 365 — Facsimile

Sources. A Chymicall Dictionary (1650), s.v. Ovum Philosophicum; 1650 facsimile PDF p. 365; compare Pelicanus, Phiala, Pyramis, Cœlum Spagiricum

See also. Pelicanus; Phiala; Pyramis; Cœlum Spagiricum