alembic

[uh-lem-bik]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR alembic ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a vessel with a beaked cap or head, formerly used in distilling.

anything that transforms, purifies, or refines.

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. 2019

Related Words for alembic

kettle, jar, pot, crate, packet, vessel, dish, storage, bowl, carton, jug, pail, utensil, vase, capsule, sack, pouch, box, tank, package

Examples from the Web for alembic

Historical Examples of alembic

This is the crucible from which is distilled the alembic of power.
The Life Radiant
Lilian Whiting
A French physician, who travelled in China, says he never saw an alembic or distillatory apparatus in the whole country.
Travels in China, Containing Descriptions, Observations, and Comparisons, Made and Collected in the Course of a Short Residence at the Imperial Palace of Yuen-Min-Yuen, and on a Subsequent Journey through the Country from Pekin to Canton
John Barrow
And gold they prove, when submitted to the test of the alembic.
The Flag of Distress
Mayne Reid
Better perhaps the alembic and the pentagon than the faro-table and the dice-box.
Mohawks, Volume 1 of 3
Mary Elizabeth Braddon
In some countries, the alembic is used as a condenser, instead of a worm.
Popular Technology, Vol. I (of 2)
Edward Hazen

British Dictionary definitions for alembic

alembic

noun

an obsolete type of retort used for distillation

anything that distils or purifies

Word Origin for alembic

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 Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for alembic

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.