Alembic

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /əˈlɛm.bɪk/

Definitions

1. A piece of equipment utilized in the separation and purification of substances through the processes of heating and condensing mixtures
2. An apparatus designed for distilling liquids, which involves the transformation of substances from liquid to vapor and back again
3. A scientific instrument used historically for distillation, facilitating the conversion of mixtures through heating and cooling methods to yield purified substances

Etymology: The most surprising thing about "alembic" is that its original Greek meaning was a cup. The ancient Greek "ámbix" referred to the cap or cup fitted onto a still, the part that collected rising vapour. Arabic alchemists took the term as "al-inbīq", and it passed into Medieval Latin as "alembīcus" and then into French as "alambic", which is the form English borrowed. The word's path is a lesson in how ancient technology travelled. Greek distilling vessels were carried into the Arabic-speaking world, where the apparatus was refined and the name was absorbed with its definite article, "al-", which English readers may recognise from words like "alcohol" and "algebra". Western Europe then received both the equipment and its vocabulary through Latin and French. English borrowed the word from French, and its meaning narrowed as the apparatus itself was replaced by newer equipment. The name is now mostly found in historical or literary contexts, though it still conjures the image of alchemists bent over glass vessels.