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 dry metal-working operation using salts or similar materials.
- In the bookCineritium and Regale provide related cement vocabulary.
- A place to readThe historical definition below, 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 16; facsimile PDF page 344.
Historical definition
Cementum is a dry corrosion in which a metallic body is calcined with salts or other drying materials.
Meaning
The definition explains the term through a process, even though the name may look like an ordinary material noun. A metallic body is acted upon; salts or other drying things participate; calcination and dry corrosion describe the change. The distinction between the metal and the assisting materials should remain visible.
“Dry” is significant beside the dictionary’s corrosive-liquor vocabulary. The entry does not define every corrosion as a liquid treatment. Nor does it name a single metal or mixture that must always be used. A historical recipe must supply those details.
Use in the book
Cineritium and Regale provide related cement vocabulary. Aqua corrodens supplies a useful contrasting entry for corrosive liquids. Together they help the reader distinguish a broad action from particular materials and arrangements used to produce it.
Places to read
- CementumRead the complete historical definition and its commentary.
- CineritiumA cement associated with gold or silver, also named Regale.
- RegaleA cement used in the purification of gold.
- Aqua corrodensA liquid category defined by corrosive action, including vinegar.
Source note
Historical source. 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 16; facsimile PDF page 344 — Facsimile
Sources. A Chymicall Dictionary (1650), s.v. Cementum ; compare Cineritium, Regale, Aqua corrodens