From the book
A Chymical Dictionary
Gerhard Dorn and John French · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordAn alternative name for the Philosophers’ Stone.
- In the bookLapis Philosophorum is described as the highest virtue of terrestrial things, giving tincture.
- A place to readThe historical definition below, 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 22; facsimile PDF page 350.
Historical definition
Filius unius Diei is the Philosophers’ Stone.
Meaning
The definition supplies an identification, without explaining the phrase or assigning a duration to the work. The apparent reference to one day in the headword should therefore not be turned into a practical timetable from this gloss alone.
Use in the book
Lapis Philosophorum is described as the highest virtue of terrestrial things, giving tincture. Filum arsenicale is another name directly referred to the Stone. These links establish recognition across a changing vocabulary, while leaving the surrounding author to explain why a particular name is chosen.
Places to read
- Filius unius DieiRead the complete historical definition and its commentary.
- Filum arsenicaleAnother name for the Philosophers’ Stone.
- Lapis PhilosophorumThe philosophers’ stone defined through supreme terrestrial power and its imparting of tincture.
Source note
Historical source. 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 22; facsimile PDF page 350 — Facsimile
Sources. A Chymicall Dictionary 1650, s.v. Filius unius Diei