chemical (English)
Where does "chemical" come from?
The word 'chemical' traces its deepest roots to the Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰew-, meaning 'to pour,' echoing the ancient practice of melting and mixing substances. This evolved through Late Latin into the term 'chemic,' which was originally linked to the mystical study of alchemy before the suffix '-al' was added to denote its connection to the modern science of chemistry.
Full etymology tree
- chemical (English), 'Of or relating to chemistry.'
- compound chemic (English), 'Practising chemistry (or, earlier, alchemy); pertaining to these sciences.'
- inherited chemicus (Latin), 'chemical'
- compound alchēmia (Latin), 'alchemy'
- borrowed اَلْكِيمِيَاء (al-kīmiyāʔ) (Arabic)
- borrowed χυμείᾱ (khumeíā) (Ancient Greek)
- borrowed اَلْكِيمِيَاء (al-kīmiyāʔ) (Arabic)
- suffix -icus (Latin), 'of or pertaining to; belonging to; derived from; connected with: -ic, -ish'
- compound alchēmia (Latin), 'alchemy'
- inherited chemicus (Latin), 'chemical'
- suffix -al (English), 'Of or pertaining to. Adjectival suffix appended to various words, often nouns, to produce an adjective form. Often added to words of Latin origin, but used with other words also.'
- compound chemic (English), 'Practising chemistry (or, earlier, alchemy); pertaining to these sciences.'
Direct ancestors
Updated July 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris