Etymology

alchemy

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Today it means: 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. Full definition →

Old French alkimie ← Medieval Latin alchēmīa ← Arabic الْكِيمِيَاء (al-kīmiyāʔ)
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*ǵʰew-
  2. Ancient Greekχῠ́μᾰ (khŭ́mă)
  3. Ancient Greekχυμείᾱ (khumeíā)
  4. Arabicالْكِيمِيَاء (al-kīmiyāʔ)
  5. Medieval Latinalchēmīa
  6. Old Frenchalkimie
  7. English todayalchemy

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.

Words from the same roots

Arabicاَلْكِيمِيَاء all →

chemistry

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.