From the book
A Chymical Dictionary
Gerhard Dorn and John French · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordA philosophical liquid defined through two perfected metallic starting bodies.
- In the bookCompare Acetum Philosophorum and Aqua corrodens.
- A place to readThe historical definition below, 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 5; facsimile PDF page 333.
Historical definition
Aqua permanens is made from two most perfect metallic bodies by a philosophical solution.
Meaning
The entry identifies this water by its origin and mode of production. It begins with two metallic bodies characterized as most perfect and ends with a philosophical solution. The historical sentence does not name those bodies here, give their proportions or explain the procedure. Any proposed identification must therefore be supported by the particular work being read.
The adjective “permanent” must be interpreted within that account rather than converted automatically into a modern claim about a liquid’s stability. Likewise, “solution” belongs to the author’s philosophical vocabulary and need not be exhausted by a familiar everyday sense of dissolving.
Use in the book
Compare Acetum Philosophorum and Aqua corrodens. The three entries organize their liquids differently: by mercurial association, by action and by a philosophical origin. Those distinctions make a more useful reading guide than treating all unfamiliar waters as synonyms.
Places to read
- Aqua permanensRead the complete historical definition and its commentary.
- Acetum PhilosophorumA philosophical solvent described as a mercurial water and Virgin’s Milk.
- Aqua corrodensA liquid category defined by corrosive action, including vinegar.
- Aquila PhilosophorumThe philosophers’ eagle explained as metallic first matter.
Source note
Historical source. 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 5; facsimile PDF page 333 — Facsimile