From the book
A Chymical Dictionary
Gerhard Dorn and John French · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordEngraved signs worn as protection against spirits and witchcraft.
- In the bookThe words are said retain the source’s manner of reporting the protective power.
- A place to readThe historical definition below, 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 37; facsimile PDF page 365.
Historical definition
Pentacula are signs or designs engraved with extraordinary and strange letters and images. Hung about the neck, they are said to protect against evil spirits and witchcraft.
Meaning
The entry describes objects, their markings, their placement and an attributed effect. Delineaments is rendered as designs, preserving the visual character of the engravings. The letters and images are part of what distinguishes the objects.
Use in the book
The words are said retain the source’s manner of reporting the protective power. Wearing is also specific: the objects are hung about the neck. Xenectum describes an external medicine hung about the body for a different protective purpose, against plague. Their similarity lies in placement and an attributed protective role, while their named dangers and descriptions differ.
Places to read
In this edition
The article explains the historical function without supplying an invented design, sequence of letters or claim of effective protection. The definition can be read as evidence of the objects’ reported use.
Source note
Historical source. 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 37; facsimile PDF page 365 — Facsimile
Sources. A Chymicall Dictionary (1650), s.v. Pentacula; 1650 facsimile PDF p. 365; compare Xenectum, Penates