Where does “alchemist” come from?
Alchemist comes from Old French alquemiste, from Medieval Latin alchemista, from Arabic كيمياء, from Ancient Greek χημεία.
alchemist (English): One who practices alchemy; One who blends...
Definitions
- One who practices alchemy; One who blends...
Ancestry of “alchemist”, step by step
alchemist traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English alchemy
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | alchemy | The ancient search for a universal panacea, and... |
| 2 | Old French | alkimie | alchemy |
| 3 | Medieval Latin | alchemia | alchemy |
| 4 | Arabic | كيمياء | chemistry |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | χυμείᾱ | art of alloying metals, alchemy |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | χύμα | that which is poured out or flows, fluid; ingot,... |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | -μᾰ | "suffix forming a noun denoting the result of an... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -mn̥ | Creates action nouns or result nouns from verbs |
via Old French alquemiste
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | alquemiste | — |
| 2 | Medieval Latin | alchemista | alchemist |
| 3 | Latin | alchemia | alchemy |