chemical
pronunciation
How to pronounce chemical in British English:
UK [ˈkemɪkl]
How to pronounce chemical in American English:
US [ˈkemɪkl]
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- Noun:
- produced by or used in a reaction involving changes in atoms or molecules
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- Adjective:
- relating to or used in chemistry
- of or made from or using substances produced by or used in reactions involving atomic or molecular changes
Word Origin
- chemical
- chemical: [16] Essentially chemical, and the related chemistry and chemist, come from alchemy with the initial al- dropped. Alchemy itself is of Arabic origin; al represents the Arabic definite article ‘the’, while the second element was borrowed from Greek khēmíā ‘alchemy’. Loss of al- seems to have taken place originally in French, so the immediate source of the English words was French chimiste and chimique (whence the now obsolete English chemic, on which chemical was based).At first this whole group of words continued to be used in the same sense as its progenitor alchemy; it is not really until the 17th century that we find it being consistently applied to what we would now recognize as the scientific discipline of chemistry.=> alchemy
- chemical (adj.)
- 1570s, "relating to chemistry," from chemic "of alchemy" (a worn-down derivative of Medieval Latin alchimicus; see alchemy) + -al (1). In early use also of alchemy. Related: Chemically.
- chemical (n.)
- 1747, from chemical (adj.). Related: Chemicals.
Example
- 1. Bacteria communicate with their neighbours through chemical signals .
- 2. Many chemical producers have been asked to cooperate .
- 3. Chemical use in american agriculture peaked soon thereafter , in 1973 .
- 4. And as more people participate , both the chemical trail and the overall system grow stronger .
- 5. The chemical can make meat leaner , but can also be the cause of heart palpitations , diarrhoea and muscle tremors .