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 metallic term with arsenic and Mercury as alternative meanings.
- In the bookArsaneck is sublimed arsenic, while Guma is directly identified as Quicksilver.
- A place to readThe historical definition below, 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 23; facsimile PDF page 351.
Historical definition
Fuligo Metallorum is sometimes called arsenic, and sometimes means Mercury.
Meaning
The entry records two uses rather than one fixed identification. The repeated “sometimes” leaves their circumstances open. A surrounding author’s material and operation must determine which meaning is plausible.
Use in the book
Arsaneck is sublimed arsenic, while Guma is directly identified as Quicksilver. These comparisons distinguish a prepared condition from a simple material name. Neither settles which of Fuligo Metallorum’s two alternatives a particular author intends; that decision needs evidence from the passage being read.
Places to read
- Fuligo MetallorumRead the complete historical definition and its commentary.
- ArsaneckAn arsenic preparation distinguished by sublimation.
- GumaA dictionary name for Quicksilver.
Source note
Historical source. 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 23; facsimile PDF page 351 — Facsimile
Sources. A Chymicall Dictionary 1650, s.v. Fuligo Metallorum