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