From the book
A Chymical Dictionary
Gerhard Dorn and John French · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordVirgin’s milk as a name for mercurial water.
- In the bookAcetum Philosophorum gives mercurial water and virgin’s milk together, and associates the liquid with the dissolution of metals.
- A place to readThe historical definition below, 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 29; facsimile PDF page 357.
Historical definition
Lac Virginis is mercurial water.
Meaning
The milky name does not require an animal source. The compiler identifies the referent as mercurial water, placing it within the language of prepared or philosophical materials. That phrase itself is broader than a declaration that ordinary liquid mercury is intended.
Use in the book
Acetum Philosophorum gives mercurial water and virgin’s milk together, and associates the liquid with the dissolution of metals. Aqua celestina also leads to mercurial water. These explicit connections provide a reading route through the changing names.
Places to read
- Lac VirginisRead the complete historical definition and its commentary.
- Acetum PhilosophorumA philosophical solvent described as a mercurial water and Virgin’s Milk.
- Aqua celestinaA water identified through Mercury.
Source note
Historical source. 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 29; facsimile PDF page 357 — Facsimile
Sources. A Chymical Dictionary 1650, 1650 dictionary, facsimile PDF page 357, Lac Virginis