E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Alchemy (Al’-ki-m)
is the Arabic al kímía (the secret art); so called not only because it was carried on in secret, but because its main objects were the three great secrets of science—the transmutation of baser metals into gold, the universal solvent, and the elixir of life.
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