philosophers' stone
or philosopher's stone
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noun Alchemy.
a substance sought by alchemists that would be capable of transmuting baser metals into gold or silver and of prolonging life.
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Origin of philosophers' stone
Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for philosophers' stone
British Dictionary definitions for philosophers' stone
philosopher's stone
noun
a stone or substance thought by alchemists to be capable of transmuting base metals into gold
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
Cultural definitions for philosophers' stone
philosopher's stone
The stone or material that practitioners of alchemy believed capable of changing other metals into gold.
notes for philosopher's stone
Figuratively, the “philosopher's stone” is a substance thought to be capable of regenerating man spiritually.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.