Chymistry
/ˈkɪm.ɪ.stri/noun
An archaic spelling of chemistry, especially used in early modern contexts for alchemy and chemical art.
Did you know?Early modern writers often used **chymistry** to blur the line between practical laboratory work and the more occult, symbolic world of alchemy.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
khēmeía / khēmía
“The art of alloying metals or making transformations in matter, later associated with alchemy”
Late Latin
Latin
chymia
“Alchemy or chemical art”
Old French
Old French
chimie
“Alchemy; the art of transmuting substances”
16th-17th Century
English
chymistry
“Alchemy or chemistry, often in the older, broader sense of chemical art”
Modern English
English
chemistry
“The science of substances, their properties, and reactions”