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 direct identification of a dissolving water as distilled vinegar.
- A place to readThe historical definition below, 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 5; facsimile PDF page 333.
Historical definition
Aqua solvens is distilled vinegar.
Meaning
This is a useful anchor among the more elaborate Aqua and Acetum expressions. It supplies a named starting material and a prepared state without an additional philosophical genealogy. Yet it is still a short identification rather than a complete instruction: it does not specify the vinegar, apparatus or treatment of the collected portions.
Compare Acetum radicale, which adds root and matrix language, and Acetum Philosophorum, which describes a mercurial water. Their common association with dissolution does not erase these differences. When reading an author, choose the sense supported by the complete term and its stated preparation.
Places to read
- Aqua solvensRead the complete historical definition and its commentary.
- Acetum radicaleA dissolving water described through the root and matrix of vinegar.
- Acetum PhilosophorumA philosophical solvent described as a mercurial water and Virgin’s Milk.
- Aqua corrodensA liquid category defined by corrosive action, including vinegar.
Source note
Historical source. 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 5; facsimile PDF page 333 — Facsimile