alembic Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun an obsolete kind of container used for distillation; two retorts connected by a tube

WordNet

A*lem"bic noun
Etymology
F. alambic (cf. Sp. alambique), Ar. al-anbiq, fr. Gr. cup, cap of a still. The cap or head was the alembic proper. Cf. Limbec.
Definitions
  1. An apparatus formerly used in distillation, usually made of glass or metal. It has mostly given place to the retort and worm still.
    Used also metaphorically. The alembic of a great poet's imagination. Brimley.

Webster 1913