Meanings
plural fire philosophers
- obsoleteSynonym of alchemist.
Most of such experiments were made by means of fire, and hence, […] the experimenters were termed Alchemists, meaning “The Firists,” or “The Fire Philosophers;” […]
1834, James Rennie, Alphabet of scientific chemistry, for the use of beginners, New edition, London: Orr and Smith, →OCLC, page 1Synonyms: alchemist
Synonyms & antonyms
nounSynonym of alchemist.
Origin
- Latinphilosophus per ignem“philosopher by fire”
- Englishfire philosopher
A calque of Latin philosophus per ignem (“philosopher by fire”).
More words from Latin
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
fire philosopher. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fire%20philosopher
“fire philosopher.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fire%20philosopher. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “fire philosopher,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fire%20philosopher.
Source: fire philosopher on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.