A Chymical Dictionary

Quintum esse cujuslibet Elementi per se solum

Plants animals and natural materials · A Chymical Dictionary

At a Glance

The word. A living being said to arise from one element by itself.

In the book. Sagani groups spirits by the four elements, while Salamandri and Terrelati supply particular elemental dwellings.

A place to read. The historical definition below, 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 39; facsimile PDF page 367.

Historical Definition

Quintum esse cujuslibet Elementi per se solum is an animal produced from that element alone.

Meaning

The full Latin expression is important because the short definition supplies a relation of origin. The animal is characterized by production from a single element. Animal here means a living creature; the entry gives no species, shape or anatomy.

Use in the Book

Sagani groups spirits by the four elements, while Salamandri and Terrelati supply particular elemental dwellings. Those entries provide a useful route for comparison, although the present sentence does not explicitly equate its animal with any one named spirit.

Places to Read

Sagani. A collective name for elemental spirits.

Salamandri. Spirits or fiery men associated with residence in fire.

Terrelati. Bodily spirits associated with residence in earth.

In This Edition

The wording is retained without supplying a missing species or turning the statement into a modern biological classification.

Historical source: 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 39; facsimile PDF page 367 — Facsimile

Sources. A Chymicall Dictionary (1650), s.v. Quintum esse cujuslibet Elementi per se solum; 1650 facsimile PDF p. 367; compare Sagani, Salamandri, Terrelati

See also. Sagani; Salamandri; Terrelati