Dictionary

alchemy en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• /ˈælkəmi/ (US)

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰew- Proto-Indo-European *-mn̥ Proto-Hellenic *-mə Ancient Greek -μᾰ (-mă) Ancient Greek χῠ́μᾰ (khŭ́mă) Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-i-eh₂ Proto-Hellenic *-íā Ancient Greek -ία (-ía) Ancient Greek χυμείᾱ (khumeíā)bor. Arabic الْكِيمِيَاء (al-kīmiyāʔ)bor. Medieval Latin alchēmīabor. Old French alkimieder. English alchemy 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.

Meanings

1. (uncountable) 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.
   • The purpose of physical alchemy—as opposed to its various spiritual pursuits—was to treat the supposed leprosity of base metals such as lead, refining and purifying them into gold.
   • There were also letters to scientists and other scholars, pages of derivations of mathematics and physics formulae, and copious writings on alchemy and religion. […] The [Isaac] Newton that emerges from the [unpublished] manuscripts is far from the popular image of a rational practitioner of cold and pure reason. The architect of modern science was himself not very modern. He was obsessed with alchemy. 2014 June 21, “Magician’s brain”, in The Economist, volume 411, number 8892, archived from the original on 09 Jan 2025:
   • And yet surely to alchemy this right is due, that it may be compared to the husbandman whereof Æsop makes the fable; that, when he died, told his sons that he had left unto them gold buried underground in his vineyard; and they digged over all the ground, and gold they found none; but by reason of their stirring and digging the mould about the roots of their vines, they had a great vintage the year following: so assuredly the search and stir to make gold hath brought to light a great number of good and fruitful inventions and experiments, as well for the disclosing of nature as for the use of man’s life. 1605, Francis Bacon, The Advancement of Learning, IV. (11):
2. (countable) The causing of any sort of mysterious sudden transmutation.
   • Then of their session ended they bid cry With trumpet’s regal sound the great result: Toward the four winds four speedy Cherubim Put to their mouths the sounding alchemy, By herald’s voice explained; the hollow Abyss Heard far and wide, and all the host of Hell With deafening shout returned them loud acclaim. 1667, John Milton, “Book II”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:
   • [Poetry] transmutes all that it touches, and every form moving within the radiance of its presence is changed by wondrous sympathy to an incarnation of the spirit which it breathes: its secret alchemy turns to potable gold the poisonous waters which flow from death through life; it strips the veil of familiarity from the world, and lays bare the naked and sleeping beauty, which is the spirit of its forms. 1840, Percy Bysshe Shelley, A Defence of Poetry:
   • O, he sits high in all the people’s hearts: And that which would appear offence in us, His countenance, like richest alchemy, Will change to virtue and to worthiness. 1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Iulius Cæsar”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iii]:
   • There is such a rich thesaurus now of things that I have said that have been, one way or another, through what alchemy I do not know, somehow misconstrued, that it would really take me too long to engage in a full global itinerary of apology to all concerned. 2016, Boris Johnson, (Please provide the book title or journal name):
   • 1640, George Herbert, Jacula Prudentum; or, Outlandish Proverbs, Sentences, etc., in The Remains of that Sweet Singer of the Temple George Herbert, London: Pickering, 1841, p. 143, No alchymy to saving.
3. (countable, slang) Any elaborate transformation process or algorithm.

Forms

Deriveds

alchemise · alchemist · alchemistical · alchemize · practical alchemy · alchemistic · algeny · alchemical

Hypernyms

protoscience · pseudoscience

Relateds

elixir of life · philosophers' stone

Translations (98)

grc χυμεία (ancient chemistry) · et alkeemia (ancient chemistry) · br alkimiezh (ancient chemistry) · cy alcemeg (ancient chemistry) · hi कीमिया (ancient chemistry) · lez алхимия (ancient chemistry) · de Alchemie (ancient chemistry) · uz alkimyo (ancient chemistry) · hy ալքիմիա (ancient chemistry) · ar خِيمِيَاء (ancient chemistry) · fr alchimie (causing of mysterious transmutation) · ur کیمیا (ancient chemistry) · gv far-chemmig (ancient chemistry) · hu alkímia (ancient chemistry) · ja 錬金術 (ancient chemistry) · vo lalkim (ancient chemistry) · tr simya (causing of mysterious transmutation) · tl pagbabalahak (ancient chemistry) · vi thuật giả kim (ancient chemistry) · sh alkemija (causing of mysterious transmutation) · cy alcemi (ancient chemistry) · fr alchimie (ancient chemistry) · km រសវិទ្យា (ancient chemistry) · nn alkymi (ancient chemistry) · th การเล่นแร่แปรธาตุ (ancient chemistry) · pt alquimia (causing of mysterious transmutation) · bg алхи́мия (ancient chemistry) · ota كیمیا (causing of mysterious transmutation) · es alquimia (causing of mysterious transmutation) · ko 련금술 (ancient chemistry) · nl scheikunde (ancient chemistry) · it alchimia (ancient chemistry) · uk алхі́мія (ancient chemistry) · sk alchýmia (ancient chemistry) · ja 黄金術 (ancient chemistry) · ms alkimia (ancient chemistry) · sh алке́мија (ancient chemistry) · kw alkemi (ancient chemistry) · sh alkemija (ancient chemistry) · az əlkimya (ancient chemistry) · te రసవాదము (ancient chemistry) · nl alchemie (ancient chemistry) · lv alķīmija (ancient chemistry) · ru алхи́мия (ancient chemistry) · km រសាយនវិទ្យា (ancient chemistry) · lt alchemija (ancient chemistry) · tr alşimi (ancient chemistry) · tr simya (ancient chemistry) · pl alchemia (causing of mysterious transmutation) · ta இரசவாதம் (ancient chemistry) · ca alquímia (ancient chemistry) · pl alchemia (ancient chemistry) · af alchemie (ancient chemistry) · fa کیمیا (ancient chemistry) · gl alquimia (ancient chemistry) · tk alhimiýa (ancient chemistry) · ka ალქიმია (ancient chemistry) · ko 연금술 (ancient chemistry) · ja 煉丹術 (ancient chemistry) · th รสายนเวท (ancient chemistry) · eo alkemio (ancient chemistry) · ga ailceimic (ancient chemistry) · ro alchimie (ancient chemistry) · es alquimia (ancient chemistry) · bn কিমিয়া (ancient chemistry) · ar اَلْخِيمِيَاء (ancient chemistry) · ota سیمیا (ancient chemistry) · da alkymi (ancient chemistry) · kk алхимия (ancient chemistry) · eo alĥemio (ancient chemistry) · id alkimia (ancient chemistry) · sv alkemi (ancient chemistry) · nb alkymi (ancient chemistry) · el αλχημεία (causing of mysterious transmutation) · sl alkimija (ancient chemistry) · gd sgoil na cumaisg (ancient chemistry) · he אַלְכִּימְיָה (ancient chemistry) · pt alquimia (ancient chemistry) · cs alchymie (ancient chemistry) · fa کیمیاگری (ancient chemistry) · ky алхимия (ancient chemistry) · be алхі́мія (ancient chemistry) · ota كیمیا (ancient chemistry) · fi alkemia (ancient chemistry) · el αλχημεία (ancient chemistry) · oc alquimia (ancient chemistry) · mk алхемија (ancient chemistry) · pl alchimia (ancient chemistry) · cmn 煉金術 /炼金术 (ancient chemistry) · kn ರಸವಿದ್ಯೆ (ancient chemistry) · la alchemia (ancient chemistry) · hi कीमियागरी (ancient chemistry) · li alsjemie (ancient chemistry) · tr alşimi (causing of mysterious transmutation) · hu aranycsinálás (ancient chemistry) · ota سیمیا (causing of mysterious transmutation) · hi रसायन (ancient chemistry) · is gullgerðarlist (ancient chemistry)