Alchemy is the old art of trying to turn base metal into gold. Medieval alchemy, the alchemy of it, an alchemy of ideas.
It also sought the philosopher's stone and the elixir of life. It failed at all three and produced modern chemistry on the way, since the laboratory methods, the apparatus and much of the vocabulary came from it — Newton spent more time on alchemy than on physics. Figuratively it means any mysterious transformation. Note alchemist; and that the al- is the Arabic definite article.
1nounalchemyThe old art of trying to turn base metal into gold.
“Medieval scholars practised alchemy in the hope of making gold from lead.”
2nounmysteriousAny mysterious transformation.
“By some kitchen alchemy, a few eggs and some sugar became a perfect cake.”
alchemy is an old art of transformation.
Medieval Latin alchemia comes from Arabic al-kimiya, from Greek chymeia, the art of alloying metals. The al- is the Arabic for the, so alchemy carries an Arabic article into English.
Old French
alkimie
English, today
alchemy
Built from
From Old French alkimie. From Old French alkimie, arquemie (French alchimie), from Medieval Latin alchēmia, from Arabic كيمياء, from Ancient Greek χυμείᾱ (“art of alloying metals”), from χύμα (“ingot, bar”). Compare Spanish alquimia and Italian alchimia.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA