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. [1] In ancient Persian poetry, kimia means "rare" or "unique."
The word is from the Ancient Greek χημία, khēmia, or χημεία, khēmeia,[2][3] 'art of alloying metals', from χύμα (khúma, “fluid”), from χέω (khéō, “I pour”). [4]
The ultimate origin of the word is uncertain.[5] According to the Oxford English Dictionary, it may be derived from the greek "χημία", 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".[2] However, it is also possible that al-kīmiyāʾ derived from χημεία, meaning "cast together".[6]
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. [7]
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:
که کیمیای سعادت در این جهان سخن است |
The rare of happiness is what counts in life, |
| —Naser Khosrow |
صدهزاران کیمیا حق آفرید |
A hundred thousand unique things created by The Truth |
| —Rumi |
The word Kimia has been frequently used in other Persian poetry, including those of Hafez Shirazi:
از کیمیای مهر تو زر گشت روی من |
By your love’s power of transformation, my face became bright gold |
and also:
آنان که خاک را به نظر کیمیا کنند |
Those whose glance turns lead into gold, |
Notable persons edit
- Kimia Alizadeh (born 1998), Iranian Olympian athlete and taekwondo player
- Kimia Hosseini (born 2003), Iranian actress
- Kimiya Yui (油井 亀美也) (born 1970), Japanese astronaut
- Kimiya Sato (佐藤 公哉) (born 1989), Japanese racing driver
References edit
- ^ "Welcome to Encyclopaedia Iranica".
- ^ a b "alchemy", entry in The Oxford English Dictionary, J. A. Simpson and E. S. C. Weiner, vol. 1, 2nd ed., 1989, ISBN 0-19-861213-3.
- ^ p. 854, "Arabic alchemy", Georges C. Anawati, pp. 853-885 in Encyclopedia of the history of Arabic science, eds. Roshdi Rashed and Régis Morelon, London: Routledge, 1996, vol. 3, ISBN 0-415-12412-3.
- ^ "Alchemy | Origin and meaning of alchemy by Online Etymology Dictionary".
- ^ Encyclopedia Britannica, 2002 Edition, CD-ROM
- ^ Weekley, Ernest (1967). Etymological Dictionary of Modern English. New York: Dover Publications. ISBN 0-486-21873-2
- ^ Corbin, 1986, pp. 71–87, 196–208; Nasr, chapter 9
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