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 stone identified through a name and a use in cold dissolution.
- In the bookDeliquium names cold dissolution of coagulated bodies.
- A place to readThe historical definition below, 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 24; facsimile PDF page 352.
Historical definition
Gravus is the stone Porphyrites, used like marble for dissolving things in the cold.
Meaning
The entry gives both a material name and a practical comparison. The stone is Porphyrites, and its use is said to be like that of marble in dissolving things in the cold. The gloss does not describe the subject being dissolved or the arrangement of the work.
Use in the book
Deliquium names cold dissolution of coagulated bodies. Grilla describes vitriol dissolving of its own accord into water. These comparisons help explain the operation language without identifying the stone as an active reagent or supplying a procedure that the dictionary does not give.
Places to read
Source note
Historical source. 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 24; facsimile PDF page 352 — Facsimile