the crystalline sphere
Preserved but no longer current.
According to Ptolemy, the ninth orb, identified by some with "the waters which were above the firmament" (Gen. i, 7); it was placed between the "primum mobile " and the firmament or sphere of the fixed stars and was held to have a shivering movement that interfered with the regular motion of the stars.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “the crystalline sphere” mean?
According to Ptolemy, the ninth orb, identified by some with "the waters which were above the firmament" (Gen. i, 7); it was placed between the "primum mobile " and the firmament or sphere of the fixed stars and was held to have a shivering movement that interfered with the regular motion of the stars.
Is “the crystalline sphere” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.