Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-dsjbd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-25T15:21:46.681Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Flavus or blavus: a difficulty in understanding early descriptions of minerals

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 March 2018

C. E. N. Bromehead
C. E. N. Bromehead*
Affiliation:
Geological Survey of Great Britain
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

While studying some of the early works on minerals I came across an obvious difficulty: several minerals, amongst which lapis-lazuli is the most startling, are described in Latin as flavus, yellow or flaxen-coloured, not blue. This error has been copied into a book in English. The solution is less obvious than the difficulty, and it may therefore be worth while to put it on record for other workers on similar lines.

Type
Research Article
Information
Mineralogical magazine and journal of the Mineralogical Society , Volume 28 , Issue 197 , June 1947 , pp. 104 - 107
Copyright
Copyright © The Mineralogical Society of Great Britain and Ireland 1947

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1. Adams, (F. D.), The birth and development of the geological sciences. London, 1938. [M.A. 7–312.]Google Scholar
2. Agricola, (G.), De natura fossilium. Basle, 1546.Google Scholar
3. Magnus, Albertus, Text used: (a) Opera omnia, Borgnet, A., editor, 38 vols. Paris, 1890–99, Liber mineralium in vol. 5, 1890. Also consulted: (b) Liber mineralium. Oppenheim, 1518; (c) De mineralibus et rebus metallicis libri quinque, appended to Lullius, R., De secretis naturae, Strasbourg, 1541.Google Scholar
4. Du Cange, (C. du F.), Glossarium ad scriptores mediae et infimae Latinitatis. (1st edit., Paris, 1678). Favre, L., editor, Niort, 1883–87.Google Scholar
5. Gesner, (C.), De omni rerum fossilium genere, gemmis, lapidibus, metallis et hujusmodi. Tiguri=Zürich, 1565. Besides his own work, De rerum fossilium, lapidum, et gemmarum maxime, figuris, the book includes: Rueus, F., De gemmis, editio Secunda (quoted here), and six other tracts.Google Scholar
6. Hofmann, (J. J.), Lexicon universale, historiam sacram et profanum … metallorum, lapidum, gemmarum nomina, naturas, vires. 4 vols., folio, Leyden, 1698.Google Scholar
7. King, (C. W.), (a) Natural history of gems or decorative stones and precious metals. London, 1867.Google Scholar
King, (C. W.) (b) Natural history of precious stones and of the precious metals. London, 1867.Google Scholar
8. Leonardus, (C.), Speculum lapidum. Venice, 1502. English translation (anon.): The mirror of stones. London, 1750.Google Scholar
9. Littleton, (A.). A Latine dictionary. London, 1678.Google Scholar