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 goldsmith’s instrument associated with casting metal into long forms.
- In the bookThe process described is casting, rather than the earlier stages of finding an ore or separating its metallic portion.
- A place to readThe historical definition below, 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 40; facsimile PDF page 368.
Historical definition
Rillus is an instrument used by goldsmiths to pour their melted metals into long forms; it is called an ingot.
Meaning
The sentence begins by naming an instrument, then connects it with pouring molten metal into a long form. Its final English equivalent is preserved because it belongs to the witness, even though the relation between the instrument and the resulting ingot can be easy to blur.
Use in the book
The process described is casting, rather than the earlier stages of finding an ore or separating its metallic portion. Compare Regulus for the purified metallic material.
Places to read
In this edition
Ingot modernises the historical spelling Jngat. The explanation follows the complete sentence and does not silently replace its instrument with a finished bar.
Source note
Historical source. 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 40; facsimile PDF page 368 — Facsimile
Sources. A Chymicall Dictionary (1650), s.v. Rillus; 1650 facsimile PDF p. 368; compare Regulus