Alchemy what is the meaning

An example of alchemy are the scientists of the Middle Ages who tried to discover a way to use metals such as mercury and sulfur — to make interesting combinations and attempt to turn them into gold.

An example of alchemy are the scientists of today who use lasers in order to change aluminum and other metals to black, red, or a variety of other colors. He published several pieces bearing on medicine, astrology and alchemy , and attacking the system of Paracelsus. So far as the numerous works are concerned it is evident that the writers who posed as Rosicrucians were moral and religious reformers, and utilized the technicalities of chemistry alchemy , and the sciences.

The Development of Chemistry in Recent Times appeared in , and in he published a work in two volumes on Alchemy in Ancient and Modern Times. All rights reserved. Filters 0. Alchemy is defined as the process of taking something ordinary and turning it into something extraordinary, sometimes in a way that cannot be explained.

The definition of alchemy is a type of science and philosophy from the Middle Ages which attempted to perform successful experiments of the unusual, such as trying to make gold from metals.

The medieval chemical science and speculative philosophy that focused on the attempt to change less valuable metals into gold, to find a universal cure for disease, and to discover a means of prolonging life indefinitely is called alchemy. It was practiced in much of the ancient world, from China and India to Greece. Alchemy migrated to Egypt and was later revived in 12th-century Europe through translations of Arabic texts into Latin.

Medieval European alchemists made some useful discoveries, including mineral acids and alcohol. The revival led to the development of pharmacology and to the rise of modern chemistry. The gold-making processes of alchemists were finally discredited, but not until the 19th century. These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'alchemy.

Send us feedback. Zosimos of Panopolis active around A. Berthelot, Les origines de l'alchemie, Paris, , pp. See more words from the same century. George Clooney's declaration of love at the Golden Globes Accessed 12 Nov.

More Definitions for alchemy. Nglish: Translation of alchemy for Spanish Speakers. Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free! Log in Sign Up. Save This Word! We could talk until we're blue in the face about this quiz on words for the color "blue," but we think you should take the quiz and find out if you're a whiz at these colorful terms.

Words nearby alchemy Alceste , Alcestis , alchem. Words related to alchemy witchcraft , wizardry , magic , sorcery , thaumaturgy , black arts , black magic , pseudo science.

How to use alchemy in a sentence Their work revealed the strange alchemy at work inside the nucleus of an atom. Reboot America! Catherine de' Medici Honore de Balzac.

A medieval philosophy and early form of chemistry whose aims were the transmutation of base metals into gold, the discovery of a cure for all diseases, and the preparation of a potion that gives eternal youth. The imagined substance capable of turning other metals into gold was called the philosophers' stone.

A Closer Look Because their goals were so unrealistic, and because they had so little success in achieving them, the practitioners of alchemy in the Middle Ages got a reputation as fakers and con artists.