alembic
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a·lem·bic
(ə-lĕm′bĭk)n.
1. An apparatus consisting of two vessels connected by a tube, formerly used for distilling liquids.
2. A device that purifies or alters by a process comparable to distillation.
[Middle English alambic, from Old French, from Medieval Latin alembicus, from Arabic al-'anbīq : al-, the + 'anbīq, still (from Greek ambix, cup).]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
alembic
(əˈlɛmbɪk)n
1. (Chemistry) an obsolete type of retort used for distillation
2. anything that distils or purifies
[C14: from Medieval Latin alembicum, from Arabic al-anbīq the still, from Greek ambix cup]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
a•lem•bic
(əˈlɛm bɪk)n.
1. a vessel with a beaked cap or head, formerly used in distilling.
2. anything that transforms, purifies, or refines.
[1350–1400; Middle English, variant of alambic < Medieval Latin alambicus < dial. Arabic al the + anbīq still < Greek ámbix cup]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
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| Noun | 1. | retort - a vessel where substances are distilled or decomposed by heat |
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