From the book
A Chymical Dictionary
Gerhard Dorn and John French · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordThe purified metallic or mineral portion after separation.
- In the bookThe phrase any metal is important: the reader should not automatically restrict every occurrence to one familiar metallurgical product.
- A place to readThe historical definition below, 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 40; facsimile PDF page 368.
Historical definition
Regulus is the purest metallic part of any metal, or the purest part of a mineral, with the dregs separated.
Meaning
The definition is broader than a single named metal. Regulus describes the retained portion by its relation to the dregs removed from it. Its identity therefore depends on the starting material and the separation under discussion.
Use in the book
The phrase any metal is important: the reader should not automatically restrict every occurrence to one familiar metallurgical product. Within this dictionary, purity is a relation established by removing another portion. Quintessentia similarly emphasizes separation, but calls its product spiritual matter extracted from living things. The two entries share a concern with purification while describing different subjects.
Places to read
- RegulusRead the complete historical definition and its commentary.
- QuintessentiaA purified spiritual matter obtained from living things.
- RedueA powder associated with melting calcined metallic matter.
- RegaleA cement used in the purification of gold.
In this edition
The spelling is retained as a technical headword. A passage that names the source mineral can narrow the identification more securely than the isolated word can.
Source note
Historical source. 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 40; facsimile PDF page 368 — Facsimile