alkahest

A1L1K5A1H4E1S1T1
UK/ˈal.kə.hɛst/

noun

A universal solvent sought by the alchemists.

Similar
universal solventfirewateralcahest
OriginLate Latin alcahest →
First used 17th c.Scrabble 15
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nounalkahest (countable and uncountable, plural alkahests)

plural alkahests · alternative alcahest

  1. countablehistoricaluncountableA universal solvent sought by the alchemists.First known use 17th c.

    This perspective stimulated the alchemical quest for a ‘universal solvent’, that would dissolve and homogenize all substances – a solvent that Paracelsus named the alkahest.

    2006, Philip Ball, The Devil's Doctor, Arrow, published 2007, page 267

    Synonyms: universal solvent, firewater

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA universal solvent sought by the alchemists.

Similar
universal solventfirewater

More synonyms by meaning

nounhypothetical universal solvent once sought by alchemists

Similar
alcahestuniversal solvent
Broader
solventdissolventdissolver
Also see
firewateruniversal solvent

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Late Latinalcahest
  2. Englishalkahest

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

More words from Late Latin

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

alkahest. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/alkahest

MLA

“alkahest.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/alkahest. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “alkahest,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/alkahest.

Source: alkahest on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.