Cicer

Dictionary of Traded Goods and Commodities 1550-1820. Originally published by University of Wolverhampton, Wolverhampton, 2007.

'Cicer - Citron water', in Dictionary of Traded Goods and Commodities 1550-1820, (Wolverhampton, 2007) pp. . British History Online https://www.british-history.ac.uk/no-series/traded-goods-dictionary/1550-1820/cicer-citron-water [accessed 27 April 2024]

[cicere]

The Latin term for the chick pea, Cicer arictinum, which was used in medicine. Both the red and white forms are found among the rated DRUGS.

OED earliest date of use: 1382; but 1548 for Chick pea

Found described as WHITE
Both the red and white pea: Found among the DRUGS, rated by the POUND

See also RED CICER.
Sources: Inventories (early), Inventories (mid-period), Rates.

Cinnabar

[cinabrum; cinabrium]

The term is now applied only to the ore from which MERCURY may be extracted. It is a red or black mineral, the most important mines being in Almeden, SPAIN [Partington (1953)] and Friuli in Italy [Rolt (1761)]. Formerly it was applied interchangeably with VERMILION to the red or crystalline form of mercuric sulphide, one of the best red PIGMENTs.

OED online earliest date of use: 1599 as an ore

Found among the DRUGS in the Rate Books, rated by the POUND

See also MERCURY, NATIVE CINNABAR, VERMILION.
Sources: Rates, Tradecards.
References: Partington (1953), Rolt (1761).

Cinnabar of antimony

[cinnab antimon]

Mercuric sulphide (HgS), produced by heating together mercuric chloride and crude antimony (antimony trisulfide) [Obsolete Chemical Terms (online)].

OED online earliest date of use: 1674 under Cinnabar

Sources: Tradecards.
References: Obsolete Chemical Terms (online), .

Cinnamon water

[synamu' water; synamond wat'r; symamond water; sinnymond watre; cynamon water; cinnamun water; cinnamon water; cinamond water; cinamon water; cin water]

The term denotes one of the popular COMPOUND WATERS, in this case one in which CINNAMON provided the main flavour. It was known in French as EAU DE CANELLE and in Latin as AQUA CINAMONIS.

OED earliest date of use: 1589

Found described as weak
Found in units of GALLON, LB, OZ, QUART, RUNLET

Sources: Inventories (early), Inventories (mid-period), Inventories (late).

Citron water

[cittron water; citron-water; citroen-water]

'A true Barbadoes' recipe suggests that it was not dissimilar CREME DE BERGAMOTE, being a distillation of the fruit and juice of the CITRON and SUGAR soaked in BRANDY, in which the dried citron peel was left to infuse before a second distillation [Recipes (Smith)]. According to the OED, LEMON PEEL sometimes replaced the citron. Given that it was rated, most, if not all, was presumably imported.

OED earliest date of use: 1712-4

Found in units of BOTTLE Found listed under SPIRITS and rated by the GALLON

Sources: Inventories (late), Newspapers, Rates, Recipes.