Etymology

alkahest

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Today it means: A universal solvent sought by the alchemists. Full definition →

First used 17th c.Late Latin alcahest
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The story

  1. Late Latin · borrowed fromalcahest
  2. English todayalkahest

Borrowed from Late Latin alcahest, apparently coined by Paracelsus as a pseudo-Arabism.

First known use, by meaning

  • from 17th c. A universal solvent sought by the alchemists.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.