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 compound liquid characterised by metallic materials and corrosive action.
- In the bookAqua corrodens covers vinegar and corrosive liquor in general.
- A place to readThe historical definition below, 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 17; facsimile PDF page 345.
Historical definition
Coleritium is a liquid compounded from the corrosive materials of metals.
Meaning
The definition gives a broad composition and an active property. It calls Coleritium a liquid, connects its ingredients with metals, and describes those materials as corrosive. It does not name the ingredients individually, specify their proportions, or say that every metallic liquid falls under this heading.
The plural “materials” matters. The entry presents a compound rather than simply renaming a metal or its elementary principle. A reader needs the surrounding passage to know which corrosive preparation an author intends.
Use in the book
Aqua corrodens covers vinegar and corrosive liquor in general. Corrosiva, by contrast, is a surgical class defined through its reported action on excess flesh. These examples show the same language of corrosion crossing material description and medical classification. Their shared property does not establish a common recipe or composition.
Places to read
- ColeritiumRead the complete historical definition and its commentary.
- Aqua corrodensA liquid category defined by corrosive action, including vinegar.
- CorrosivaSurgical preparations classified by removal of excess flesh.
In this edition
The wording remains at the level supported by the source. No particular acid, metal salt or modern analytical identity is supplied. “Liquid” clarifies the old noun liquor without changing the claim about a compound preparation.
Source note
Historical source. 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 17; facsimile PDF page 345 — Facsimile