alkahest
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al·ka·hest
(ăl′kə-hĕst′)n.
The hypothetical universal solvent once sought by alchemists.
[Medieval Latin alchahest, first used by Paracelsus (1493-1541), and said to have been coined by him in imitation of Arabic words .]
al′ka·hes′tic adj.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
alkahest
(ˈælkəˌhɛst) oralcahest
n
(Alchemy) the hypothetical universal solvent sought by alchemists
[C17: apparently coined by Paracelsus on the model of Arabic words]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
al•ka•hest
(ˈæl kəˌhɛst)n.
the universal solvent sought by the alchemists.
[1635–45; < New Latin alchahest; probably coinage of Paracelsus]
al`ka•hes′tic, al`ka•hes′ti•cal, adj.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
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| Noun | 1. |  alkahest - hypothetical universal solvent once sought by alchemistsdissolvent, dissolver, dissolving agent, resolvent, solvent - a liquid substance capable of dissolving other substances; "the solvent does not change its state in forming a solution" |
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