alembic
[uh-lem-bik]
- a vessel with a beaked cap or head, formerly used in distilling.
- anything that transforms, purifies, or refines.
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Origin of alembic
1350–1400; Middle English, variant of alambic < Medieval Latin alambicus < dialectal Arabic al the anbīq still < Greek ámbix cup
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for alembic
Historical Examples
This is the crucible from which is distilled the alembic of power.
The Life RadiantLilian Whiting
A French physician, who travelled in China, says he never saw an alembic or distillatory apparatus in the whole country.
And gold they prove, when submitted to the test of the alembic.
The Flag of DistressMayne Reid
Better perhaps the alembic and the pentagon than the faro-table and the dice-box.
Mohawks, Volume 1 of 3Mary Elizabeth Braddon
In some countries, the alembic is used as a condenser, instead of a worm.
Popular Technology, Vol. I (of 2)Edward Hazen
alembic
- an obsolete type of retort used for distillation
- anything that distils or purifies
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Word Origin
C14: from Medieval Latin alembicum, from Arabic al-anbīq the still, from Greek ambix cup
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for alembic
n.
late 14c., from Middle French alambic (13c.), via Old Spanish, from Arabic al-anbiq "distilling flask," from Greek ambix "cup," of unknown, possibly Semitic, origin. Often spelled limbeck 15c.-17c.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper