sublimatory

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌsʌblɪˈmeɪtəɹi/

Etymology 1

From Middle English sublymatories pl, from Medieval Latin sublīmātōrium, from Latin sublīmātus (see sublime) + -ōrium.

Noun

sublimatory (plural sublimatories)

1. A vessel or device used for sublimation.
   • 1649, Blaise de Vigenère, translated by Edward Stephens, A Discourse of Fire and Salt, page 155:

     Take the black feces, that remain in the bottome, stampe them, and put them in a sublimatory of good earth, of an inch thick, and no more, for six houres, first a little fire, then reinforce it for twelve others, till the sublimatory be red […]

   • 1667, John French, chapter 7, in The Art of Distillation, page 218:

     How Sulphur is sublimed. Take the best and clearest yellow Sulphur […] then put [the sulphur and other substances] into your Sublimatory, and put on its head; add to it fire of the first degree, until all its moisture be vapoured away; then close the pipe above, and proceed with the fire by degrees, until all the Sulphur be sublimed very subtle.

   • 2003, William R. Newman, Gehennical Fire: The Lives of George Starkey, an American Alchemist in the Scientific Revolution, page 149:

     This is why ordinary mercury can be "precipitated", that is, made to congeal and fall to the bottom of a sublimatory by fire alone.

Etymology 2

From Middle French sublimatoire, from Medieval Latin sublīmātōrius.

Adjective

sublimatory (not comparable)

1. Used for sublimation.
   • 1666, Robert Boyle, “The II. Section, Containing the Experiments. [Experiment VII.]”, in The Origine of Formes and Qualities, (According to the Corpuscular Philosophy,) Illustrated by Considerations and Experiments, […], Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] Hen[ry] Hall printer to the University, for Ric[hard] Davis, →OCLC, pages 359–360:

     [W]hen (to explain my meaning by a groſs Example) the Corpuſcles of Sulphur and Mercury do, by a ſtrict Coalition, aſſociate themſelves into the Body vve call Vermilion, though theſe vvill riſe together in Sublimatory Veſſels, vvithout being divorc'd by the fire, and vvill act, in many caſes, as one Phyſical Body: yet tis knovvn enough among Chymiſts, That if You exquiſitely mix vvith it a due proportion of Salt of Tartar, the parts of the Alkaly vvill aſſociate themſelves more ſtrictly vvith thoſe of the Sulphur, then theſe vvere before aſſociated vvith thoſe of the Mercury, vvhereby You ſhall obtain out of the Cinnabar, vvhich ſeem'd intenſely red, a real Mercury, that vvill look like fluid Silver.

Middle English

Noun

sublimatory

1. a vessel used for sublimation
   • 1387–1400, Geoffrey Chaucer, “(please specify the story)”, in The Canterbury Tales, [Westminster: William Caxton, published 1478], →OCLC; republished in [William Thynne], editor, The Workes of Geffray Chaucer Newlye Printed, […], [London]: […] [Richard Grafton for] Iohn Reynes […], 1542, →OCLC:

     Vyols, crosselettes, and sublymatoryes

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

   • 14h century, Geoffrey Chaucer, edited by Frederick J. Furnivall, The Petworth MS of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, London, 1868-1879, p. 554, l. 793 (inside þ^e tale of þe chanons ȝeman)

     Violles Creseletys . and sublimatories