alchemist
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of alchemist
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English alkamist, probably from Medieval Latin alchymista, equivalent to alchym(ia) alchemy + -ista -ist
Explanation
If you're an alchemist, then you try to change common metals into gold. People have been trying to figure that out for a long time, so you might need to have another job to finance your career as an alchemist. The word alchemist comes from alchemy, which has origins in the Greek word khemeia, meaning "art of transmuting metals." Active since ancient times, alchemists could be considered very early chemists because of their work trying to transform base metals into gold. Alchemists could also be considered wizards because they attempted to make special elixirs that would give everlasting life and cure sickness.
Vocabulary lists containing alchemist
The Alchemist
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The Cardboard Kingdom
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"The Jungle" by Upton Sinclair (excerpt)
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Lichtenberg considers himself an AI alchemist of sorts, because he often has to re-prompt the tools he uses to get the writing and analysis he’s looking for.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 27, 2026
In a post on social media, Dead Ringers star Jon Culshaw called Dare the "wisest comedy alchemist and the dearest, dearest friend".
From BBC ● Mar. 4, 2025
A self-proclaimed alchemist, Williams specializes in transforming wet soil into hardened sculptures that typically live outdoors, where the wind carries seedlings that may attach to the artist’s creations and bloom.
From New York Times ● Mar. 22, 2024
What physicists Soddy and Rutherford realized was that nature itself is an alchemist, "transmuting" materials into other types of materials through the spontaneous process of radioactive decay.
From Salon ● Aug. 12, 2023
“I’m going to guide you across the desert,” the alchemist said.
From "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho
Astrologers consult a national zodiac, palm readers ring pagodas, would-be alchemists attempt to transmute mercury into gold and SIM card companies advertise dial-a-diviners.
From Barron's ● Dec. 21, 2025
Transforming base materials into gold was one of the elusive goals of the alchemists of yore.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 29, 2024
England have been nimble too, often showing signs of being skilled alchemists.
From BBC ● Feb. 17, 2024
Medieval alchemists claimed that the mythical Philosopher's Stone would turn lead into gold.
From Salon ● Dec. 28, 2022
But the alchemists were strange people, who thought only about themselves, and almost always refused to help him.
From "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
