alchemy

Meaning

Noun

• The ancient search for a universal panacea, and of the philosopher's stone, that eventually developed into chemistry.
• The causing of any sort of mysterious sudden transmutation.
• Any elaborate transformation process or algorithm.

Origin

• From Old French alkimie, arquemie (French alchimie), from Medieval Latin alkimia, from Arabic كيمياء, from Ancient Greek χημεία or χυμεία originally “a mingling, infusion, juice, liquid, as extracted from gold” and later “alchemy”, perhaps from Χημία and/or χυμός. (Compare Spanish alquimia and Italian alchimia).