From the book
A Chymical Dictionary
Gerhard Dorn and John French · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordMetallic ore described as unripe and at its beginning.
- In the bookMarcasita likewise denotes unripe metallic matter and is said to have as many kinds as there are metals.
- A place to readThe historical definition below, 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 28; facsimile PDF page 356.
Historical definition
Kachimia, or Kahimia, is the unripe ore of any metal, as it exists in its first state.
Meaning
Ripeness supplies the interpretive model. The material is metallic in its origin or destination, but has not reached the condition of a completed metal. “Any metal” also makes the term a general category rather than the name of one ore. Its first state is the relevant distinction.
Use in the book
Marcasita likewise denotes unripe metallic matter and is said to have as many kinds as there are metals. Mercurius Crudus, by contrast, identifies mercury through its remaining unseparated from its ore. The entries distinguish developmental condition from a particular material’s state of preparation.
Places to read
- KachimiaRead the complete historical definition and its commentary.
- MarcasitaA varied category of metallic matter understood as unripe.
- Mercurius CrudusMercury described before separation from its mineral source.
In this edition
Mine is rendered as ore here because the headword defines the material, not the excavation from which it is taken.
Source note
Historical source. 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 28; facsimile PDF page 356 — Facsimile
Sources. A Chymical Dictionary 1650, 1650 dictionary, facsimile PDF page 356, Kachimia