alkahest Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun hypothetical universal solvent once sought by alchemists
    alcahest; universal solvent.

WordNet

Al"ka*hest noun
Etymology
LL. alchahest, F. alcahest, a word that has an Arabic appearance, but was probably arbitrarily formed by Paracelsus.
Definitions
  1. The fabled "universal solvent" of the alchemists; a menstruum capable of dissolving all bodies. -- Al`ka*hes"tic a.

Webster 1913