From the book
A Chymical Dictionary
Gerhard Dorn and John French · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordRectified wine described through a heavenly comparison.
- In the bookAlcool vini supplies the direct wine-spirit vocabulary.
- A place to readThe historical definition below, 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 5; facsimile PDF page 333.
Historical definition
Aqua Celestis is rectified wine, made in some measure like heaven through its subtlety and purity.
Meaning
The historical definition explains its own figurative name. The resemblance to heaven concerns subtlety and purity, not a statement that the liquid has fallen from the sky. The material is expressly wine in a rectified condition. This combination of identification and analogy helps the reader retain the author’s imagery without losing the preparation to which it points.
The qualification “in some measure” also deserves preservation. It marks a comparison rather than an unrestricted identity between the prepared liquid and heaven.
Use in the book
Alcool vini supplies the direct wine-spirit vocabulary. Aqua celestina, despite its similar appearance, is defined instead as mercurial water. Consulting these entries together is a useful safeguard against grouping unlike waters solely because their names sound alike.
Places to read
- Aqua CelestisRead the complete historical definition and its commentary.
- Alcool viniThe wine-qualified term for rectified spirit.
- Aqua celestinaA water identified through Mercury.
Source note
Historical source. 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 5; facsimile PDF page 333 — Facsimile
Sources. A Chymicall Dictionary (1650), s.v. Aqua Celestis ; compare Alcool vini, Aqua celestina