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 extracted oiliness associated with the mines of two metals.
- In the bookLiquor illustrates how oil-language can enter material compounds, while Mercurius metallorum præcipitatus describes a different extracted subject through precipitation.
- A place to readThe historical definition below, 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 33; facsimile PDF page 361.
Historical definition
Mercurius mineralium is an oiliness extracted from the mines of gold and silver.
Meaning
Oiliness describes the thing extracted; the mines of gold and silver specify its setting or source. The definition does not simply equate the phrase with liquid quicksilver, nor state that gold and silver themselves have become a visible ordinary oil.
Use in the book
Liquor illustrates how oil-language can enter material compounds, while Mercurius metallorum præcipitatus describes a different extracted subject through precipitation. The particular descriptors are necessary to keep these preparations apart.
Places to read
- Mercurius mineraliumRead the complete historical definition and its commentary.
- LiquorA naming rule by which a qualified liquor can mean an oil.
- Mercurius metallorum præcipitatusA preparation specified by metallic extraction followed by precipitation.
Source note
Historical source. 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 33; facsimile PDF page 361 — Facsimile
Sources. A Chymical Dictionary 1650, 1650 dictionary, facsimile PDF page 361, Mercurius mineralium