DiotimosReading Desk

Language number and measures

Faba

A fractional quantity measured against a scruple.

From the book

A Chymical Dictionary

Gerhard Dorn and John French · Diotimos Editions · 2026

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Orientation

At a Glance

  • The wordA fractional quantity measured against a scruple.
  • In the bookCometz defines half a drop, while Carena gives a twentieth of a drop.
  • A place to readThe historical definition below, 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 22; facsimile PDF page 350.

Historical definition

Faba is one third of a scruple.

Meaning

The entry defines a quantity through a proportion. One third is clear within the statement, but the dictionary gives no independent calibration for the scruple or its use in a particular text. The term should not be converted to a modern amount from the gloss alone.

Use in the book

Cometz defines half a drop, while Carena gives a twentieth of a drop. Together the entries show several scales and kinds of small measure. Their fractions are meaningful within their own stated reference quantities; they do not establish a common modern unit.

Places to read

  1. FabaRead the complete historical definition and its commentary.
  2. CarenaA small measure expressed as a fraction of a drop.
  3. CometzA quantity expressed as one half of a drop.

Source note

Historical source. 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 22; facsimile PDF page 350 — Facsimile

Sources. A Chymicall Dictionary 1650, s.v. Faba