Alchemic

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Relating to the historical science focused on the transformation of materials, it involves both the creation of gold from base metals and the pursuit of spiritual enlightenment through material change
2. Pertaining to the ancient practice involving the mystical transformation of substances, especially the attempt to convert base metals into gold
3. Connected with the traditional science aimed at transmuting ordinary materials into precious ones and uncovering hidden spiritual truths

Etymology: Alchemic is a plain adjective built from "alchemy" and the suffix "-ic", so its interest lies in the parts it borrows. The "-ic" ending comes down from Latin "-icus", which was used to form adjectives meaning "of or belonging to", and it entered English through Old French "-ique" and Middle English "-ik". Its ancestry therefore runs through several languages before it reaches the modern form. The base word "alchemy" has a more winding route. It traces to Medieval Latin "alchēmia", borrowed from Arabic "al-kīmiyāʾ", which is in turn linked to Ancient Greek "khumeía", a term connected with the pouring or melting of metals. The Arabic form carries the Greek word's sense of metalworking into a new setting, and medieval European writers then took it up for the transmutation of base metals.

Synonyms: mystical, esoteric, transformative, magical

Antonyms: scientific, rational, logical