#34 alchemy

alchemy- the pseudoscientific predecessor of chemistry that sought a method of transmuting base metals into gold, an elixir to prolong life indefinitely, a panacea or universal remedy

- C14 Old French- alkamye, Latin- alchimia, Arabic- alkimiya, Late Greek-khemeia- the art of transmutation

I love this word for its rich etymology. What a revealing lesson of word development over the ages for students!

Leaders must invoke an alchemy of great vision. ~ Henry A. Kissinger

None but a poet can write a tragedy. For tragedy is nothing less than pain transmuted into exaltation by the alchemy of poetry. ~ Edith Hamilton