azoth

American  

[az-oth] / ˈæz ɒθ /

noun

1. mercury, regarded by alchemists as the assumed first principle of all metals.

2. the universal remedy of Paracelsus.

---

azoth British  

/ ˈæzɒθ /

noun

1. the alchemical name for mercury, esp when regarded as the first principle of all metals

2. the panacea postulated by Paracelsus

---

Etymology

Origin of azoth

1470–80; ≪ Arabic az zā'ūq the quicksilver

Example Sentences

“For example, could you have arrived at azoth if you’d arbitrarily closed your mind to certain chemical compounds?”

From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor

He was intent on keeping the secret of azoth, it would seem, even in this city whence, long ago, the secret had come.

From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor

A storybook might have held the secret of azoth, and knowledge of stories might have earned him a place in the party, but he hardly thought that tales would give him an edge now.

From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor

He was distilling azoth, as he had done hundreds of times before.

From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor

For hundreds of years, alchemists had been trying to distill azoth.

From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor