elixir

Where does the word "elixir" come from? It comes from Arabic al-iksir, passing through Medieval Latin before entering English (1300s).

Elixir’s story begins in Arabic: al-iksir meant “the philosopher's stone.” A legendary substance alchemists sought to turn base metal into gold. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Medieval Latin as elixir. Arabic 'al-iksir', from Greek 'xērion', a drying powder for wounds; alchemists sought an elixir of life. It reached English by 1300s as elixir. Chaucer's Canon's Yeoman speaks of the alchemists' 'elixir' around 1386, in the lab vocabulary that reached English from Arabic through Latin. Today, elixir means a magical potion believed to cure ailments or grant eternal life.

1. Stage 1 · Arabic · medieval al-iksir "the philosopher's stone", a legendary substance alchemists sought to turn base metal into gold.
2. Stage 2 · Medieval Latin · medieval elixir "a magical or medicinal preparation", Arabic 'al-iksir', from Greek 'xērion', a drying powder for wounds; alchemists sought an elixir of life.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1300s elixir "a magical or curative potion", Chaucer's Canon's Yeoman speaks of the alchemists' 'elixir' around 1386, in the lab vocabulary that reached English from Arabic through Latin.