alcahest

noun

1. alkahest.

noun

1. the universal solvent sought by the alchemists.

noun

1. a variant spelling of alkahest

noun

1. the hypothetical universal solvent sought by alchemists

n.

“universal solvent sought by alchemists,” 1640s, from French alcahest, from Medieval Latin alcahest, a pseudo-Arabic word coined by Paracelsus (see alchemy).