Alchemy was an old practice that combined early chemistry, philosophy, and magic, often aiming to turn base metals into gold or find a life-extending elixir. Today, it can also mean a mysterious or powerful transformation.
From Arabic *al-kīmiyāʼ* “the art of transformation,” likely from Greek *khēmeia* related to metal pouring or Egypt. The *al-* is the Arabic definite article “the.”
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