chemic

views updated

chemic †alchemical XVI; †pert. to Paracelsian medicine (based on chemical doctrines); pert. to chemistry XVII. Earlier form chymick — F. chimique or modL. chimicus, for alchimicus ALCHEMICAL.
So chemical XVI (earlier than chemic in the last sense). The sp. che- (XVII) is based on Gr. khēm(e)íā (cf. ALCHEMY).

More From encyclopedia.com