chemistry

First coined 1605, from chemist +‎ -ry. From chemist, chymist, from Latin alchimista, from Arabic اَلْكِيمِيَاء‎ (al-kīmiyāʾ), from article اَل‎ (al-) + Ancient Greek χυμεία (khumeía, “art of alloying metals”), from χύμα (khúma, “fluid”), from χυμός (khumós, “juice”), from χέω (khéō, “I pour”).

• enPR: kĕm'ĭstrē, IPA^(key): /ˈkɛm.ɪ.stɹi/

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chemistry (countable and uncountable, plural chemistries)

1. (uncountable) The branch of natural science that deals with the composition and constitution of substances and the changes that they undergo as a consequence of alterations in the constitution of their molecules.
2. (countable) An application of chemical theory and method to a particular substance.

   the chemistry of iron

   the chemistry of indigo

3. (informal) The mutual attraction between two people; rapport.

• Historical note: This word and its derivatives were formerly spelled chy- or sometimes chi- (i.e., chymistry, chymist, chymical, etc., or chimistry, chimist, chimical, etc.) with pronunciation depending on the spelling.

• See also Thesaurus:chemistry

• biochemistry