alkahest

English

Alternative forms

• alcahest

Etymology

Borrowed from Late Latin alcahest, apparently coined by Paracelsus, as Pseudo-Arabism.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈal.kə.hɛst/

Noun

alkahest (countable and uncountable, plural alkahests)

1. (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

• alkahestic