alkahest
English
[edit]
Alternative forms
[edit]Etymology
[edit]Borrowed from Late Latin alcahest, apparently coined by Paracelsus, as Pseudo-Arabism.
Pronunciation
[edit]Noun
[edit]alkahest (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
[edit]Categories:
- English terms borrowed from Late Latin
- English terms derived from Late Latin
- English pseudo-loans from Arabic
- English terms derived from Arabic
- English 3-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English lemmas
- English nouns
- English uncountable nouns
- English countable nouns
- English terms with historical senses
- English terms with quotations
- en:Alchemy
- en:Fictional materials