223:. The ancient Egyptian word referred to both the country and the colour "black" (Egypt was the "Black Land", by contrast with the "Red Land", the surrounding desert); so this etymology could also explain the nickname "Egyptian black arts". However, according to
145:(chimeía), pouring, infusion, used in connexion with the study of the juices of plants, and thence extended to chemical manipulations in general; this derivation accounts for the old-fashioned spellings "chymist" and "chymistry". The other view traces it to
473:
in describing activity that we today would characterize as chemical or alchemical. As a humanist, Agricola was intent on purifying words and returning them to their classical roots. He had no intent to make a semantic distinction between
493:(Zurich 1552). Gessner's work was frequently re-published in the second half of the 16th century in Latin and was also published in a number of vernacular European languages, with the word spelled without the
485:
During the later sixteenth century
Agricola's new coinage slowly propagated. It seems to have been adopted in most of the vernacular European languages following
563:, which occurred in the early 19th century. In French, Italian, Spanish and Russian today it continues to be spelled with an i as in for example Italian
101:, meaning "cast together" may refer to the art of alloying metals, from root words χύμα (khúma, "fluid"), from χέω (khéō, "I pour"). Alternatively,
165:(chimía); on this derivation alchemy is explained as meaning the "Egyptian art". The first occurrence of the word is said to be in a treatise of
715:
596:
169:, an astrological writer of the 4th century, but the prefix al there must be the addition of a later Arabic copyist. In English,
17:
803:
William R. Newman and
Lawrence M. Principe, "Alchemy vs. Chemistry: The Etymological Origins of a Historiographic Mistake,"
754:
591:
678:
661:
640:
141:
There are two main views on the derivation of the Greek word. According to one, the word comes from the greek
173:(1362) contains the phrase "experimentis of alconomye", with variants "alkenemye" and " alknamye". The prefix
850:
512:) were synonymous and interchangeable. The semantic distinction between a rational and practical science of
290:, written about 300 AD in Greek, speaks against "the ancient writings of the Egyptians, which treat of the
739:
360:
224:
586:
177:
began to be dropped about the middle of the 16th century (further details of which are given below).
387:), "that which is poured out, an ingot"). Assuming a Greek origin, chemistry is defined as follows:
491:
Thesaurus
Euonymi Philiatri De remediis secretis: Liber physicus, medicus, et partim etiam chymicus
166:
673:
Weekley, Ernest (1967). Etymological
Dictionary of Modern English. New York: Dover Publications.
60:
is the definite article 'the'. The ultimate origin of the word is uncertain, but the Arabic term
855:
339:) meaning "the art of alloying metals, alchemy"; in the manuscripts, this word is also written
845:
576:
8:
823:
816:
769:
709:
581:
523:
In 16th, 17th and early 18th century
English the spellings — both with and without the
674:
657:
636:
367:
originally meant "cast together", "casting together", "weld", "alloy", etc. (cf. Gk.
239:
217:
106:
210:
194:
486:
458:
395:
326:
228:
539:. During the later 18th century the spelling was re-fashioned to use a letter
839:
704:
691:"Alchemy | Origin and meaning of alchemy by Online Etymology Dictionary"
274:
Thus, according to Budge and others, chemistry derives from an
Egyptian word
170:
71:
734:
186:
690:
656:, eds. Roshdi Rashed and Régis Morelon, London: Routledge, 1996, vol. 3,
294:
129:, meaning "blackness", likely in reference to the rich dark soil of the
719:. Vol. 1 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 519.
616:
287:
421:
255:
157:, which denotes black earth as opposed to barren sand, and occurs in
30:
425:
259:
202:
158:
110:
282:, "preparation of black powder", ultimately derived from the name
429:
409:
263:
243:
34:
359:), which is the probable basis of the Arabic form. According to
231:. Assuming an Egyptian origin, chemistry is defined as follows:
413:
247:
41:
708:
489:'s adoption of it in his extremely popular pseudonymous work,
461:(died 1555) was the first to drop the Arabic definite article
773:
652:
p. 854, "Arabic alchemy", Georges C. Anawati, pp. 853-885 in
433:
424:
scale, dealing primarily with collections of atoms, such as
399:
382:
372:
354:
344:
334:
267:
258:
scale, dealing primarily with collections of atoms, such as
89:
79:
635:, J. A. Simpson and E. S. C. Weiner, vol. 1, 2nd ed., 1989,
417:
251:
130:
325:), according to some, is thought to derive from the Koine
56:
37:, which is found in various forms in European languages.
465:. In his Latin works from 1530 on he exclusively wrote
547:
in
English. In English after the spelling shifted from
786:
784:
408:) meaning "cast together" or "pour together", is the
242:
word "khēmia" meaning transmutation of earth, is the
790:Alan J. Rocke, "Agricola, Paracelsus, and Chymia,"
500:In the 16th and 17th centuries in Europe the forms
193:actually means "the Egyptian ", borrowing from the
781:
837:
826:New English Dictionary on Historical Principles
819:New English Dictionary on Historical Principles
654:Encyclopedia of the history of Arabic science
520:arose only in the early eighteenth century.
440:
320:
314:
65:
49:
457:"alchemist". The mineralogist and humanist
40:The word 'alchemy' itself derives from the
597:List of chemical element name etymologies
817:"Chemic", "chemical" and "chemistry" in
703:
14:
838:
728:
726:
627:
625:
555:, there was corresponding shift from
537:chimic / chymic / alchimic / alchymic
201:(or its equivalent in the Mediaeval
70:) is likely derived from either the
810:
592:List of Arabic loanwords in English
321:
315:
227:, this theory may be an example of
66:
50:
24:
732:
723:
622:
180:
25:
867:
209:). This Coptic word derives from
755:Oxford English Dictionary Online
105:may be derived from the ancient
797:
300:
762:
747:
697:
683:
667:
646:
609:
185:According to the Egyptologist
13:
1:
824:"Alchemy" and "alchemist" in
633:The Oxford English Dictionary
602:
7:
740:Online Etymology Dictionary
570:
136:
10:
872:
805:Early Science and Medicine
774:
400:
383:
373:
355:
345:
335:
90:
80:
587:History of thermodynamics
445:Later medieval Latin had
441:From alchemy to chemistry
363:, the Greek word χυμεία
807:, vol. 3 (1998), 32-65.
716:Encyclopædia Britannica
527:— were usually with an
794:vol. 32 (1985), 38-45.
619:, 2002 Edition, CD-ROM
216:, itself from ancient
33:derives from the word
297:of gold and silver".
286:, Egypt. A decree of
18:Chemistry (etymology)
851:History of chemistry
631:"alchemy", entry in
577:History of chemistry
770:Liddell-Scott-Jones
447:alchimia / alchymia
238:, from the ancient
205:dialect of Coptic,
822:(year 1893). Also
582:History of science
453:"alchemical", and
197:word for "Egypt",
189:, the Arabic word
733:Harper, Douglas.
84:) or the similar
16:(Redirected from
863:
830:
814:
808:
801:
795:
788:
779:
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776:
766:
760:
751:
745:
744:
730:
721:
720:
712:
701:
695:
694:
687:
681:
671:
665:
650:
644:
629:
620:
613:
403:
402:
386:
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376:
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358:
357:
348:
347:
338:
337:
324:
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318:
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93:
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83:
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69:
68:
53:
52:
21:
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836:
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833:
815:
811:
802:
798:
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752:
748:
731:
724:
710:"Alchemy"
702:
698:
689:
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684:
672:
668:
651:
647:
630:
623:
614:
610:
605:
573:
443:
303:
183:
181:Egyptian origin
167:Julius Firmicus
139:
97:The Greek term
23:
22:
15:
12:
11:
5:
869:
859:
858:
853:
848:
832:
831:
809:
796:
780:
761:
746:
722:
707:, ed. (1911).
705:Chisholm, Hugh
696:
682:
666:
645:
621:
607:
606:
604:
601:
600:
599:
594:
589:
584:
579:
572:
569:
516:and an occult
487:Conrad Gessner
459:Georg Agricola
442:
439:
438:
437:
302:
299:
272:
271:
229:folk etymology
182:
179:
138:
135:
133:river valley.
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
868:
857:
856:English words
854:
852:
849:
847:
844:
843:
841:
828:
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821:
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800:
793:
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771:
765:
758:
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750:
742:
741:
736:
729:
727:
718:
717:
711:
706:
700:
692:
686:
680:
679:0-486-21873-2
676:
670:
663:
662:0-415-12412-3
659:
655:
649:
642:
641:0-19-861213-3
638:
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615:Encyclopedia
612:
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534:
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481:
477:
472:
468:
464:
460:
456:
452:
448:
435:
431:
427:
423:
419:
415:
411:
407:
397:
393:
390:
389:
388:
380:
377:) "to pour";
370:
366:
362:
352:
342:
332:
328:
312:
308:
298:
296:
295:transmutation
293:
289:
285:
281:
277:
269:
265:
261:
257:
253:
249:
245:
241:
237:
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233:
232:
230:
226:
222:
219:
215:
212:
208:
204:
200:
196:
192:
188:
178:
176:
172:
171:Piers Plowman
168:
164:
160:
156:
153:, hieroglyph
152:
148:
144:
134:
132:
128:
124:
120:
116:
112:
108:
104:
100:
95:
87:
77:
73:
72:Ancient Greek
63:
59:
58:
47:
43:
38:
36:
32:
27:
19:
829:(year 1888).
825:
818:
812:
804:
799:
791:
764:
759:s.v. alchemy
753:
749:
738:
714:
699:
685:
669:
653:
648:
632:
611:
564:
560:
556:
552:
548:
544:
540:
536:
532:
528:
524:
522:
517:
513:
509:
505:
501:
499:
494:
490:
484:
479:
475:
470:
466:
462:
454:
450:
446:
444:
405:
391:
378:
368:
364:
350:
340:
330:
310:
306:
304:
301:Greek origin
291:
283:
279:
275:
273:
235:
220:
213:
206:
198:
190:
187:Wallis Budge
184:
174:
162:
154:
150:
146:
142:
140:
126:
122:
118:
114:
102:
98:
96:
85:
75:
61:
55:
45:
39:
28:
26:
846:Etymologies
449:"alchemy",
394:, from the
311:al-khīmiyaʾ
54:), wherein
840:Categories
617:Britannica
603:References
561:alchemical
557:alchimical
455:alchimista
451:alchimicus
307:al-kīmiyaʾ
288:Diocletian
191:al-kīmiyaʾ
46:al-kīmiyāʾ
735:"alchemy"
426:molecules
422:molecular
392:Chemistry
260:molecules
256:molecular
236:Chemistry
31:chemistry
29:The word
571:See also
553:chemical
549:chimical
543:, as in
518:alchimia
502:alchimia
480:alchymia
471:chymista
430:crystals
351:kheimeia
322:الخيمياء
316:الكيمياء
264:crystals
240:Egyptian
218:Egyptian
203:Bohairic
159:Plutarch
137:Overview
109:name of
107:Egyptian
51:الكيمياء
565:chimica
416:at the
410:science
406:khēmeia
365:khumeia
356:χειμεία
341:khēmeia
331:khymeia
305:Arabic
276:khemein
250:at the
244:science
211:Demotic
99:khēmeia
76:khēmeia
62:kīmiyāʾ
35:alchemy
775:χυμεία
677:
660:
639:
545:chemic
535:as in
514:chimia
510:chymia
506:chimia
476:chymia
467:chymia
434:metals
432:, and
418:atomic
414:matter
401:χημεία
369:kheein
346:χημεία
336:χυμεία
292:khēmia
280:khēmia
268:metals
266:, and
252:atomic
248:matter
195:Coptic
143:χημεία
103:khēmia
86:khēmia
81:χημεία
67:كيمياء
42:Arabic
792:Ambix
772:s.v.
508:(and
398:word
396:Greek
379:khuma
374:χέειν
349:) or
329:word
327:Greek
207:khēme
163:χημία
151:khame
125:, or
123:khame
111:Egypt
91:χημία
74:word
44:word
768:Cf.
675:ISBN
658:ISBN
637:ISBN
525:"al"
504:and
478:and
469:and
384:χύμα
361:Mahn
284:khem
225:Mahn
199:kēme
155:khmi
147:khem
131:Nile
127:khmi
115:khem
559:to
551:to
531:or
495:al-
463:al-
420:to
412:of
319:or
309:or
278:or
254:to
246:of
221:kmt
214:kmỉ
161:as
149:or
119:khm
117:or
94:).
57:al-
842::
783:^
737:.
725:^
713:.
624:^
567:.
497:.
482:.
428:,
262:,
175:al
121:,
113:,
778:.
757:,
743:.
693:.
664:.
643:.
541:e
533:y
529:i
436:.
404:(
381:(
371:(
353:(
343:(
333:(
313:(
270:.
88:(
78:(
64:(
48:(
20:)
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