From the book
A Chymical Dictionary
Gerhard Dorn and John French · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordThe reduction of flesh or bodily substance to ash by burning.
- In the bookCompare Cinificatum, the dictionary’s more general ash vocabulary.
- A place to readThe historical definition below, 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 2; facsimile PDF page 330.
Historical definition
Æstphara is the burning of flesh, or the substance of the body, into ashes.
Meaning
This is an operation term defined by both its starting material and its result. Flesh or bodily substance is the object; ash is the endpoint. The wording concerns an actual change in material condition within the historical account, rather than supplying a metaphorical meaning by itself. When encountered in a symbolic passage, any additional interpretation must come from that passage.
Use in the book
Compare Cinificatum, the dictionary’s more general ash vocabulary. Æstphara is narrower because it specifies bodily material.
Places to read
- ÆstpharaRead the complete historical definition and its commentary.
- CinificatumA material reduced to ash by burning.
Source note
Historical source. 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 2; facsimile PDF page 330 — Facsimile
Sources. A Chymicall Dictionary (1650), s.v. Æstphara ; compare Cinificatum