Kimia

Kimia is an Ancient Greek word and a feminine given name in Persian language. It means elixir of life, alchemy, or the philosopher’s stone. In ancient Persian poetry, kimia means "rare" or "unique."

The word is from the Ancient Greek , ''khēmia'', or , ''khēmeia'', 'art of alloying metals', from χύμα (khúma, “fluid”), from χέω (khéō, “I pour”).

The ultimate origin of the word is uncertain. According to the ''Oxford English Dictionary'', it may be derived from the greek , which is derived from the ancient Egyptian name of Egypt, ''khem'' or ''khm'', ''khame'', or ''khmi'', meaning "blackness", i.e., the rich dark soil of the Nile river valley. Therefore, alchemy can be seen as the "Egyptian art" or the "black art". However, it is also possible that ''al-kīmiyāʾ'' derived from , meaning "cast together".

Alchemy is a philosophical and protoscientific tradition practiced throughout Europe, Africa, and Asia. It aims to purify, mature, and perfect certain objects. Latin words for Chemistry are derived from the Ancient Greek word χημία (kimia.)

The meaning of Kimia, in the Persian literature refers to what is behind the ‘materialistic’ conception of alchemy, and instead to the secret of the spirit’s action in nature and the Universe, the macro-cosmos. By acquiring this secular wisdom of action, alchemists aspired to discover their inner (microcosmic) reality, and transmute themselves.

The word appears ubiquitously in Persian literature. Some early usages can be seen in Vis and Ramin and Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh.

Other samples in verse and prose are:

|The rare of happiness is what counts in life, Told Kasra his minister Bozorgmehr |attr1=Naser Khosrow }}

|A hundred thousand unique things created by The Truth Yet no alchemy like patience is known to Man |attr1=Rumi}}

The word Kimia has been frequently used in other Persian poetry, including those of Hafez Shirazi:

|By your love’s power of transformation, my face became bright gold Thanks to your grace, the dust can become gold.}}

and also:

|Those whose glance turns lead into gold, Will they ever our sight behold?}} Provided by Wikipedia