Meanings
- rareA stone supposed to be taken from the stomach of a swallow, with purported magical or medicinal properties.
while he discusses the chelidonius, he says nothing of extracting it so soon and describes the colors of its two varieties as black and red, and so does Bartholomew later on.
1923, Lynn Thorndike, History of Magic and Experimental Science, volume IV, page 4212 more examples
In the belly of a swallow, there is a stone found, called chelidonius, “which, if it be lapped in a fair cloth, and tied to the right arm, will cure lunaticks, mad men, make them amiable and merry.”
1624, Democritus Junior [pseudonym; Robert Burton], The Anatomy of Melancholy: […], 2nd edition, Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] John Lichfield and James Short, for Henry Cripps, →OCLC, partition II, section 4, member 1, subsection ivAccording to Thomas de Cantimpré the swallow-stone is a talisman for merchants and tradesmen. The merits of the chelidonius, as this stone was called, were fully recognized in Saxon England and are given due prominence in an Anglo-Saxon medical treatise, dating form the first half of the tenth century.
1915, George Frederick Kunz, The Magic of Jewels and Charms, page 172
Origin
- Ancient Greekχελῑδών“swallow”
- Englishchelidonius
Ultimately from Ancient Greek χελῑδών (khelīdṓn, “swallow”).
More words from Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
chelidonius. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chelidonius
“chelidonius.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chelidonius. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “chelidonius,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chelidonius.
Source: chelidonius on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.