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 egg-shaped glass vessel for philosophical operations.
- In the bookPelicanus supplies another vessel name, defined through circulation, while Pyramis is defined through a pyramidal form.
- A place to readThe historical definition below, 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 37; facsimile PDF page 365.
Historical definition
Ovum Philosophicum is an egg-shaped glass used by philosophers in their operations.
Meaning
The name is explained through the vessel’s form. The glass is shaped like an egg; the definition does not identify a biological egg as the material of the operation.
Use in the book
Pelicanus supplies another vessel name, defined through circulation, while Pyramis is defined through a pyramidal form. The comparisons distinguish a shape, an operative role and another shape without requiring a single standard vessel design.
Places to read
- Ovum PhilosophicumRead the complete historical definition and its commentary.
- PelicanusA vessel defined through circulation.
- PhialaA glass bottle or vial.
- PyramisA vessel identified through its pyramidal form.
In this edition
The egg image is grounded in the explicit description. Further symbolic readings would need a particular author’s passage; they are not established by this brief instrument gloss alone.
Source note
Historical source. 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 37; facsimile PDF page 365 — Facsimile