What does aquafortis mean?
Aqua fortis, often written as one word 'aquafortis', is the historic name for nitric acid, a powerful corrosive acid whose very name means 'strong water' in Latin. The term dates from the era of alchemy and early chemistry, when this clear, fuming liquid astonished practitioners by dissolving metals such as copper and silver that resisted ordinary solvents. Artisans put it to practical work: etchers brushed it over metal plates to bite designs into their surfaces, and assayers used it to test the purity of gold and silver alloys. Although modern chemists refer to the substance simply as nitric acid, 'aquafortis' persists in historical, artistic, and technical writing about printmaking and metallurgy, lending any text that uses it an archaic, scholarly air. It should not be confused with aqua regia, the even more potent mixture of nitric and hydrochloric acids famed for dissolving gold itself.
nounAqua fortis is nitric acid, a strongly corrosive mineral acid historically used in metalworking, engraving, and assaying.
- Nitric acid, especially as used historically in engraving, assaying, and metalworking.
"The engraver bit the design into the copper plate using aquafortis before inking it for printing."
"The alchemist labeled her flask of aquafortis with a skull to warn of its corrosive power."
"In the assay office, a drop of aquafortis was applied to the metal to test its purity."
Alchemists called nitric acid 'strong water' because it could dissolve silver and copper — metals that plain water never touches — making aquafortis one of the first named chemicals in European science.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of aquafortis
Aquafortis comes directly from the Latin phrase aqua fortis, meaning 'strong water', adopted into English during the medieval and early modern period when Latin served as the language of alchemy and natural philosophy. The element aqua ('water') also gives us words such as aquarium, aqueduct, and aquamarine, while fortis ('strong') underlies fortify, forte, and effort. As chemistry professionalized, the Latinate name gave way to the systematic term 'nitric acid', leaving aquafortis as a historical and craft usage.
How aquafortis is actually used
The word is now largely historical or technical; modern chemistry simply says 'nitric acid'. It survives chiefly in discussions of old engraving, alchemy, and metallurgy, and carries an archaic, scholarly flavor.
Easily confused with aquafortis
Aqua regia ('royal water') is a mixture of nitric and hydrochloric acids capable of dissolving gold, whereas aquafortis is nitric acid alone.