alchemist

American  

[al-kuh-mist] / ˈæl kə mɪst /

noun

• alchemists
  plural

1. a person who is versed in or practices alchemy.

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alchemist British  

/ ˈælkəmɪst /

noun

1. a person who practises alchemy

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• alchemists
  plural

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

alchemist alchemists

It will take even the great alchemist Emery time to fashion his new team, but he has been given the materials to work his magic for another season aiming for the top four.

From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026

An alchemist of reggaeton, jazz and alternative, RaiNao has graced both NPR’s Tiny Desk and Bad Bunny’s residency shows.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 24, 2026

The Nuton name plays on Isaac Newton, the alchemist, as well as the hunt for “a new ton” of copper, which had become elusive via deal or discovery, Burley said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 2, 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

—Thyon Nero: the alchemist who had distilled azoth.

From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor

Whereas the alchemists of old sought ways to turn base metals into gold, I am transforming a precious metal into gifts for the most important people in my life, family members both past and present.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026

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

Then there’s the whole other wave: the artisan mayonnaise makers, those alchemists who’ve transformed a simple spread into an expressive canvas.

From Salon ● Mar. 27, 2025

Transforming base materials into gold was one of the elusive goals of the alchemists of yore.

From Science Daily ● Feb. 29, 2024

I wrote to Albus, describing, perhaps insensitively, the wonders of my journey, from narrow escapes from chimaeras in Greece to the experiments of the Egyptian alchemists.

From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling