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 agent defined by imparting color to another body.
- In the bookRubella is a useful companion entry because it distinguishes an extracting essence from the tincture it draws out of bodies.
- A place to readThe historical definition below, 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 45; facsimile PDF page 373.
Historical definition
Tinctura is that which tinges a body with its color.
Meaning
The definition describes a relation between an agent and a receiving body. The agent tinges; the body receives its color. It therefore gives an action and an effect without identifying one universal substance called tincture.
Use in the book
Rubella is a useful companion entry because it distinguishes an extracting essence from the tincture it draws out of bodies. The extraction and the later imparting of color are different relations. Following which material acts and which receives helps readers avoid confusing the agent with its source or product.
The word body is broad in this short definition. The compiler does not restrict it to a human body or one named metal. Nor does this sentence alone establish that a change of color proves a change of metallic species. More expansive uses elsewhere must be argued from the particular passage rather than assumed from the headword.
Places to read
- TincturaRead the complete historical definition and its commentary.
- RubellaAn essence defined by dissolving and extracting tincture.
- QuintessentiaA purified spiritual matter obtained from living things.
In this edition
Tincture is retained as the familiar technical rendering, with the source’s emphasis on tinging made explicit. Modern associations with a particular alcoholic extract are not sufficient to identify every historical use. The surrounding material, operation and claimed result remain the proper guides.
Source note
Historical source. 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 45; facsimile PDF page 373 — Facsimile