alembic
/əˈlɛm.bɪk/ noun
Forms alembics alembick limbeck
- noun (alchemy) An early chemical apparatus, consisting of two retorts connected by a tube, used to purify substances by distillation.
Etymology
From French alambic, from Medieval Latin alembīcus, from Arabic الإِنْبِيق (al-ʔinbīq), from Ancient Greek ἄμβιξ (ámbix, “cup, cap of a still”). Doublet of ambix and lambic.
Webster’s 1913
- noun An apparatus formerly used in distillation, usually made of glass or metal. It has mostly given place to the retort and worm still.
Etymology [F. alambic (cf. Sp. alambique), Ar. al-anbiq, fr. Gr. alembic proper. Cf. Limbec.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “alembic”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details