alchemy

Meaning

  1. The premodern and early modern study of physical changes, particularly in Europe, Arabia, and China; and chiefly in pursuit of an elixir of immortality, a universal panacea, and/or a philosopher's stone able to transmute base metals into gold, eventually developing into chemistry.
  2. The causing of any sort of mysterious sudden transmutation.
  3. (slang) Any elaborate transformation process or algorithm.

Concepts

alchemy

chemistry

interpersonal chemistry

art of making elixirs

magical power

supernaturalism

elixir

training of active substance

hermetic

Frequency

20k
Pronounced as (IPA)
/ˈælkəmi/
Etymology

From Old French alkimie, arquemie (French alchimie), from Medieval Latin alchēmia, from Arabic اَلْكِيمِيَاء (al-kīmiyāʔ), from Ancient Greek χυμείᾱ (khumeíā, “art of alloying metals”), from χύμα (khúma, “ingot, bar”). Compare Spanish alquimia and Italian alchimia.

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