From the book
A Chymical Dictionary
Gerhard Dorn and John French · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordA living being said to arise from one element by itself.
- In the bookSagani groups spirits by the four elements, while Salamandri and Terrelati supply particular elemental dwellings.
- A place to readThe historical definition below, 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 39; facsimile PDF page 367.
Historical definition
Quintum esse cujuslibet Elementi per se solum is an animal produced from that element alone.
Meaning
The full Latin expression is important because the short definition supplies a relation of origin. The animal is characterized by production from a single element. Animal here means a living creature; the entry gives no species, shape or anatomy.
Use in the book
Sagani groups spirits by the four elements, while Salamandri and Terrelati supply particular elemental dwellings. Those entries provide a useful route for comparison, although the present sentence does not explicitly equate its animal with any one named spirit.
Places to read
- Quintum esse cujuslibet Elementi per se solumRead the complete historical definition and its commentary.
- SaganiA collective name for elemental spirits.
- SalamandriSpirits or fiery men associated with residence in fire.
- TerrelatiBodily spirits associated with residence in earth.
In this edition
The wording is retained without supplying a missing species or turning the statement into a modern biological classification.
Source note
Historical source. 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 39; facsimile PDF page 367 — Facsimile