Ăl'che-my or Ăl'chy-my, n.

n. [Fr. alchimie, Pr. alkimia, Sp. & Pg. alquimia, It. alchimia, from Ar. al-kîmîâ, which is, however, no indigenous Arabic word, but taken from the Gr. χημεία. The Greek word is either derived from Χημία, Egypt, as this country, according to Plutarch, was called on account of the black color of its soil; or more probably χημεία stands for χυμεία, from χυμός, juice, liquid, especially as extracted from plants; for chemistry was originally the art of extracting juices from plants for medical purposes. See CHEMISTRY.]

1Sense 1. An ancient science which aimed to transmute metals into gold, to find the panacea, or universal remedy, &c. It led the way to modern chemistry.

2Sense 2. A mixed metal formerly used for various utensils; hence, a trumpet. “Put to their mouths the sounding alchemy.” Milton.

3Sense 3. Show or resemblance not borne out by reality. [Obs.] Trench.

☞ This word and its derivatives are often written with y instead of e in the second syllable.