

Hennig Brand:1630-1710 - like many alchemists of his town, German alchemist Hennig Brand utilized human urine in his experiments.Johann Friedrich Bottger: 1682-1719 - discovered China’s long-kept secret recipe for “White Gold,” European porcelain.Paracelsus: 1493-1541 - credited with discovering a tincture of opium as well as laudanum.Maria the Jewess: Between the first and third century - Kerotakis, the tribikos, and the bain-marie.Jean Baptista Van Helmont: 1580-1644 - carbon dioxide.Zosimos of Panopolis: Late third century AD - this Egyptian alchemist was also the author of “Cheirokmeta’.Ge Hong: 283-343 AD - credited with indirectly creating the foundation for gunpowder.In fact, some of the best and brightest alchemists are people that you may even be familiar with:

Alchemy was actually the study of chemistry from the third century BC through the next 2000 years. When most people think of an alchemist, they tend to conjure up images of an old, haggard man, possibly a wizard stirring a boiling cauldron, but the truth is that this is really nothing more than just a stereotype. A synonym is a word that has the same or nearly the same meaning as another word, whereas an antonym is a word that means the opposite of another word.īelow you will find synonyms and antonyms provided by Your Dictionary: Now that you understand what the word alchemist means, let’s draw our attention to its synonyms and antonyms. What Are the Synonyms and Antonyms of Alchemist? That said, the word alchemy comes from the Ancient Greek word khemeia and Arabic al-kīmiyā (meaning “art of transmuting metals”). What Is the Etymology of Alchemist?īelieve it or not, the art of alchemy was handed down over a number of centuries from Arabia and Egypt to Rome and Greece, and finally to Western and Central Europe. Rooted in a complex spiritual worldview, alchemy is a form of speculative thought or philosophy that aims to achieve the transmutation of base metals into gold as well as the discovery of a universal cure for all diseases and a potion that gives eternal youth. Today, the word alchemist typically refers to a person who is well versed in or practices alchemy.
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Let’s dive in! What Is the Definition of Alchemist?Īccording to the Collins English Dictionary, an alchemist was a scientist in the Middle Ages who tried to discover how to alter ordinary metals into gold. In this post, we’re exploring the world of alchemy to uncover the definition of an alchemist and more. Alchemy is seen in a magical way, such as an artist can turn a mound of scrap metal into a beautiful piece of art. An ancient practice that’s shrouded in mystery, alchemy is the process of taking something ordinary and transforming it into something extraordinary.
