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 disputed mineral term whose preferred sense is argued from context.
- In the bookSulphur rerum supplies related sulphur-of-things vocabulary, while Chrysos provides a direct gold identification.
- A place to readThe historical definition below, 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 15; facsimile PDF page 343.
Historical definition
Chifir Minerale is interpreted by some as gold, but I judge from what precedes it that it means the sulphur of any metal.
Meaning
The historical voice is unusually explicit. The author reports one interpretation, gold, and then offers another on the basis of preceding text: the sulphur of a metal. The entry therefore records an interpretive decision rather than an uncontested equivalence. Its first-person judgement should remain attributed instead of being presented as the editor’s discovery.
The method is valuable for readers. What comes before an unfamiliar term can outweigh a name recognized in isolation. The object is also broader in the preferred explanation: any metal’s sulphur, rather than one particular gold material.
Use in the book
Sulphur rerum supplies related sulphur-of-things vocabulary, while Chrysos provides a direct gold identification. Comparing them keeps the alternatives intelligible without pretending that the unnamed preceding passage has been independently recovered from this dictionary sentence.
Places to read
- Chifir MineraleRead the complete historical definition and its commentary.
- Sulphur rerumThe sulphur of things used as a name for their quintessence.
- ChrysosA direct name equivalence for gold.
- AlcaestA disputed preparation whose meaning depends on the author’s procedure.
Source note
Historical source. 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 15; facsimile PDF page 343 — Facsimile
Sources. A Chymicall Dictionary (1650), s.v. Chifir Minerale ; compare Sulphur rerum, Chrysos, Alcaest