alkahest
English
editAlternative forms
editEtymology
editBorrowed from Late Latin alcahest, apparently coined by Paracelsus, as Pseudo-Arabism.
Pronunciation
editNoun
editalkahest (countable and uncountable, plural alkahests)
- (now historical) A universal solvent sought by the alchemists. [from 17th c.]
- Synonym: universal solvent
- 2006, Philip Ball, The Devil's Doctor, Arrow, published 2007, page 267:
- This perspective stimulated the alchemical quest for a ‘universal solvent’, that would dissolve and homogenize all substances – a solvent that Paracelsus named the alkahest.
Derived terms
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- English terms borrowed from Late Latin
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- English pseudo-loans from Arabic
- English terms derived from Arabic
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- en:Alchemy
- en:Fictional materials