Etymograph

English

alchemy

Alchemy comes from Old French alkimie, and goes back to Ancient Greek χυμείᾱ.

  1. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEχυμείᾱ1
  2. Arabicc. 500–presentاَلْكِيمِيَاء1
  3. Medieval Latinc. 600–1500alchēmia2
  4. Old Frenchc. 842–1400alkimie3
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1599alchemy3

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin alchemia
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Old French alkimie
  3. 3 Wiktionary, English alchemy
  4. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1599, The Tragedie of Iulius Cæsar: “O, he sits high in all the people’s hearts:…”.

Lineage

  1. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEχυμείᾱWiktionary, Latin alchemia
  2. Arabicc. 500–presentاَلْكِيمِيَاءWiktionary, Latin alchemia
  3. Medieval Latinc. 600–1500alchēmiaWiktionary, Old French alkimie
  4. Old Frenchc. 842–1400alkimieWiktionary, English alchemy
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1599alchemyWiktionary, English alchemy. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1599, The Tragedie of Iulius Cæsar: “O, he sits high in all the people’s hearts:…”

Linked words

through Ancient Greek χυμείᾱ

chemist, 3 more

Today it means

noun The premodern and early modern study of physical changes, particularly in Europe, Arabia, and China; and chiefly in pursuit of an elixir of immortality, a universal panacea, and/or a philosopher's stone able to transmute base metals into gold, eventually developing into chemistry.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “alchemy”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Latin alchemia, Old French alkimie. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Ancient Greek χυμείᾱ / alchemy

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