alembic noun & verb. [ǝ'lɛmbɪk] ME.
[Old French from medieval Latin alembicus from Arab. al-'anbī&kdbelow;, the still cap from Greek ambix: see AL-². Aphet. to LIMBECK.]
A. noun. An obsolete kind of still consisting of a gourd-shaped vessel and a cap having a long beak for conveying the products to a receiver; the cap of such a still. ME.
fig.:
■ Burke The hot spirit drawn out of the alembic of hell.
B. verb trans. Infl. -ck-. Distil (as) in an alembic. Earlier as LIMBECK verb. M17-M18.

■ alembicated adjective (of ideas, expression, etc.) overrefined, subtilized L18.

■ alembi'cation noun overrefinement of expression etc.; concentration: L19.

[TahlilGaran] English Dictionary ▲