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Chemistry

4 stages from Greek to English.

Today it means the science of the composition, properties and reactions of substances

Where does the word "chemistry" come from? It comes from Greek khēmeía, passing through Arabic and Medieval Latin before entering English (1600s).

khēmeía→al-kīmiyāʾ→alchymia→chemistry

"transmutation"

the art of transmuting metals practised in Roman Egypt, as by Zosimos of Panopolis around 300; the name's origin is disputed (Greek khymos 'juice' or an Egyptian name for Egypt, Kemet)

Arabic added the article al-; writings attributed to Jabir ibn Hayyan made alchemy a major science of the Islamic world

Medieval Latin · 1100s

Robert of Chester's Latin translation of 1144 introduced Arabic alchemy to Europe

English · 1600s

"science of substances"

the al- was dropped for the new science; Robert Boyle's The Sceptical Chymist (1661) attacked the alchemical view of elements

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Chemistry’s story begins in Greek: khēmeía meant “transmutation.” The art of transmuting metals practised in Roman Egypt, as by Zosimos of Panopolis around 300; the name's origin is disputed (Greek khymos 'juice' or an Egyptian name for Egypt, Kemet). By 800s, the word had taken hold in Arabic as al-kīmiyāʾ. Arabic added the article al-; writings attributed to Jabir ibn Hayyan made alchemy a major science of the Islamic world. From there it passed into Medieval Latin as alchymia by 1100s. Robert of Chester's Latin translation of 1144 introduced Arabic alchemy to Europe. It reached English by 1600s as chemistry. The al- was dropped for the new science; Robert Boyle's The Sceptical Chymist (1661) attacked the alchemical view of elements. Today, chemistry means the science of the composition, properties and reactions of substances.