alembic
Americannoun
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a vessel with a beaked cap or head, formerly used in distilling.
-
anything that transforms, purifies, or refines.
noun
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an obsolete type of retort used for distillation
-
anything that distils or purifies
Etymology
Origin of alembic
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, variant of alambic, from Medieval Latin alambicus, from dialectal Arabic al anbīq “the still,” from Greek ámbix (stem ámbīk- ) “cup, vessel with a spout”
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It’s distilled from Fijian sugar cane in both alembic and column stills and aged for no less than two years in bourbon casks on Fiji.
From New York Times
Minutes weren’t measured in seconds, but in “alembic time parsecs.”
From Los Angeles Times
The copper pot still, or alembic, sits behind the spacious bar like a shiny visitor from outer space.
From New York Times
In his chemistry lab, a short walk from the history department, the cabinets are full of alembics, retorts and other bulbous glass devices.
From Washington Post
Although he relished putting his life into his art, he boiled life in his poet’s alembic at a pretty high temperature, and much of the who, when, and how was volatilized away.
From The New Yorker
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
