Alchemy

Webster's Dictionary of the English Language

·noun Miraculous power of transmuting something common into something precious.

II. Alchemy ·noun A mixed metal composed mainly of brass, formerly used for various utensils; hence, a trumpet.

III. Alchemy ·noun An imaginary art which aimed to transmute the baser metals into gold, to find the panacea, or universal remedy for diseases, ·etc. It led the way to modern chemistry.