From the book
A Chymical Dictionary
Gerhard Dorn and John French · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordQuicksilver described through a claimed origin in gold.
- In the bookHorion is the Mercury of gold, while Fido can mean Quicksilver and sometimes gold.
- A place to readThe historical definition below, 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 19; facsimile PDF page 347.
Historical definition
Discus solis is Quicksilver made from gold.
Meaning
The definition connects two metal names through making: the Quicksilver is said to be made from gold. It should not be reduced to an ordinary synonym for gold, since that would lose the relation that distinguishes the entry. The manner of making is not explained.
Use in the book
Horion is the Mercury of gold, while Fido can mean Quicksilver and sometimes gold. Those terms reveal overlapping naming relationships, but they do not supply a procedure or prove that every mercurial expression connected with gold has the same meaning. Follow the particular qualification in each entry.
Places to read
- Discus solisRead the complete historical definition and its commentary.
- FidoA name chiefly glossed as Quicksilver, with gold as another use.
- HorionA mercurial term qualified through gold.
Source note
Historical source. 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 19; facsimile PDF page 347 — Facsimile