chemist

English

Chemist in a white lab coat

Alternative forms

Etymology

Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰew-
Proto-Indo-European *-mn̥
Proto-Hellenic *-mə
Ancient Greek -μᾰ (-mă)
Ancient Greek χῠ́μᾰ (khŭ́mă)
Proto-Indo-European *-h₂
Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂
Proto-Indo-European *-i-eh₂
Proto-Hellenic *-íā
Ancient Greek -ία (-ía)
Ancient Greek χυμείᾱ (khumeíā)bor.
Arabic الْكِيمِيَاء (al-kīmiyāʔ)bor.
Medieval Latin alchēmia
▲
Ancient Greek χυμείᾱ (khumeíā)influ.
New Latin chimialbor.
Middle French chymie
French chimie
Proto-Indo-European *-id-
Proto-Indo-European *-yéti
Proto-Indo-European *-idyéti
Proto-Hellenic *-íd͏̌d͏̌ō
Ancient Greek -ῐ́ζω (-ĭ́zō)
Proto-Hellenic *-tās
Ancient Greek -τής (-tḗs)
Ancient Greek -ῐστής (-ĭstḗs)bor.
Latin -istalbor.
French -iste
French chimistebor.
English chemist

    First attested 1562, borrowed from French chimiste, from Medieval Latin chimista, from earlier alchimista (literally “alchemist”), from Arabic الْكِيمِيَاء (al-kīmiyāʔ), with article اَلْ (al-) + Ancient Greek χυμεία (khumeía, “art of alloying metals”), from χύμα (khúma, “fluid”), from χυμός (khumós, “juice”), from χέω (khéō, “to pour”). The pronunciation with initial /k/ is based on the Graeco-Latin etymology rather than on the French word, where the pronunciation with /ʃ/ is based on native French orthography. (Can this(+) etymology be sourced?)

    This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term. Particularly: “Explanation for spelling “chymist”: from French or Greek?”

    As a synonym for pharmacy, a metonymous use of the proprietor to stand for their shop.

    Pronunciation

    • enPR: kem'ĭst, IPA(key): /ˈkɛmɪst/
    • Audio (US):(file)
    • Audio (UK):(file)

    Noun

    chemist (plural chemists)

    1. A person who specializes in the science of chemistry, especially at a professional level.
      • 1988, Alan Hollinghurst, chapter 3, in The Swimming-Pool Library, paperback edition, London: Penguin Books, →ISBN, page 60:
        It was Oxford now—the matriculation photograph, posed in the stony front quad at Corpus, the pelican on top of the sundial appearing to sit on the head of the lanky, begowned chemist at the centre of the back row.
      • 2013 August 10, “A new prescription”, in The Economist‎[1], volume 408, number 8848, archived from the original on 10 August 2020:
        As the world's drug habit shows, governments are failing in their quest to monitor every London window-box and Andean hillside for banned plants. But even that Sisyphean task looks easy next to the fight against synthetic drugs. No sooner has a drug been blacklisted than chemists adjust their recipe and start churning out a subtly different one.
    2. (chiefly UK, Australia, New Zealand, Ghana, Nigeria) Synonym of pharmacist.
    3. (chiefly UK, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa) Synonym of pharmacy, especially as a standalone shop or general store.
    4. (obsolete) An alchemist.

    Derived terms

    Translations

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