chemical (English)
Where does "chemical" come from?
The English word 'chemical' originates from the combination of 'chemic', meaning 'alchemy', with the suffix '-al', meaning 'related to'[1]. The underlying base form 'chemic' traces back through Late Latin 'chemicus'[2], which was shortened from 'alchēmia' or 'alchemy'[3]. This Arabic-derived term ultimately finds its roots in the Ancient Greek 'khumeíā'[3] and further back to the Proto-Indo-European root '*ǵʰew-'[undefined].
Full etymology tree
- chemical (English), 'Of or relating to chemistry.'
- compound chemic (English), 'Practising chemistry (or, earlier, alchemy); pertaining to these sciences.'
- derived chemicus (Latin), 'chemical'
- derived alchemia (Latin), 'alchemy'
- derived اَلْكِيمِيَاء (al-kīmiyāʔ) (Arabic)
- derived χυμεία (khumeía) (Ancient Greek), 'art of alloying metals, alchemy'
- derived اَلْكِيمِيَاء (al-kīmiyāʔ) (Arabic)
- suffix -icus (Latin), 'of or pertaining to; belonging to; derived from; connected with: -ic, -ish'
- derived alchemia (Latin), 'alchemy'
- derived 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.'
Ancestors
- *ǵʰew- (Proto-Indo-European)
- chemic (English)
- -al (English)
Sources
Updated August 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris