alkahest
A universal solvent sought by the alchemists.
countable, historical, uncountable
This perspective stimulated the alchemical quest for a ‘universal solvent’, that would dissolve and homogenize all substances – a solvent that Paracelsus named the alkahest.
Where it comes from
Borrowed from Late Latin alcahest, apparently coined by Paracelsus as a pseudo-Arabism.
Adapted from the Wiktionary entry alkahest (CC BY-SA 4.0).