alchemy

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. A medieval chemical philosophy having as its asserted aims the transmutation of base metals into gold, the discovery of the panacea, and the preparation of the elixir of longevity.
2. n. A seemingly magical power or process of transmuting: "He wondered by what alchemy it was changed, so that what sickened him one hour, maddened him with hunger the next” ( Marjorie K. Rawlings).

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. Medieval chemistry; the doctrines and processes of the early and medieval chemists; in particular, the supposed process, or the search for the process, by which it was hoped to transmute the baser metals into gold.
2. n. Any magical or mysterious power or process of transmuting or transforming.
3. n. Formerly, a mixed metal used for utensils, a modification of brass: so called because believed to have been originally formed by the art of alchemy; hence, an imitation, as alchemy was supposed to be of brass: used figuratively by Milton for a trumpet.
4. n. Formerly also spelled alchymy.

Wiktionary

1. n. uncountable The ancient search for a universal panacea, and of the philosopher's stone, that eventually developed into chemistry.
2. n. countable The causing of any sort of mysterious sudden transmutation.
3. n. computing, slang, countable Any elaborate transformation process or algorithm.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. 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.
2. n. obsolete A mixed metal composed mainly of brass, formerly used for various utensils; hence, a trumpet.
3. n. Miraculous power of transmuting something common into something precious.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. a pseudoscientific forerunner of chemistry in medieval times
2. n. the way two individuals relate to each other