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 calx as ash from wood.
- A place to readThe historical definition below, 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 13; facsimile PDF page 341.
Historical definition
Calx lignorum is wood ash.
Meaning
The starting material is explicit, making this a useful anchor within the broad Calx vocabulary. Here the term does concern ash, whereas other compounds in the dictionary identify spirits, precipitates or different prepared materials. Read the complete expression rather than assume one meaning for every Calx.
Alcali provides the next operational connection: salts can be extracted from ashes or calx in its account. The ash and the salt obtained from it remain distinct materials or stages, even when one leads to the other.
Places to read
- Calx lignorumRead the complete historical definition and its commentary.
- AlcaliSalt defined through extraction from ash or calx.
- CinificatumA material reduced to ash by burning.
Source note
Historical source. 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 13; facsimile PDF page 341 — Facsimile
Sources. A Chymicall Dictionary (1650), s.v. Calx lignorum ; compare Alcali, Cinificatum