alchemy
noun/ˈælkəmi/
/ˈælkəmi/
[uncountable]- a form of chemistry studied in the Middle Ages that involved trying to discover how to change ordinary metals into gold
Definitions on the go
Look up any word in the dictionary offline, anytime, anywhere with the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary app.
- (literary) a mysterious power or magic that can change things
Word Originlate Middle English: via Old French and medieval Latin from Arabic al-kīmiyā', from al ‘the’ + kīmiyā' (from Greek khēmia, khēmeia ‘art of transmuting metals’).
Check pronunciation:
alchemy