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Alchemy vs Necromancy - What's the difference?

alchemy | necromancy |

As nouns the difference between alchemy and necromancy

is that alchemy is the ancient search for a universal panacea, and of the philosopher's stone, that eventually developed into chemistry while necromancy is divination involving the dead or death.

alchemy

Noun

  • (label) The ancient search for a universal panacea, and of the philosopher's stone, that eventually developed into chemistry.
  • *{{quote-magazine, date=2014-06-21, volume=411, issue=8892, magazine=(The Economist)
  • , title= Magician’s brain , passage=The [Isaac] Newton that emerges from the [unpublished] manuscripts is far from the popular image of a rational practitioner of cold and pure reason. The architect of modern science was himself not very modern. He was obsessed with alchemy .}}
  • (label) The causing of any sort of mysterious sudden transmutation.
  • Any elaborate transformation process or algorithm.
  • Derived terms

    * alchemical * alchemise and alchemize * alchemist * alchemistic * alchemistical

    See also

    * elixir of life * philosophers' stone

    References

    * *

    necromancy

    English

    Alternative forms

    * necyomancy, egromancy

    Noun

  • Divination involving the dead or death.
  • * 1597 King James Daemonologie
  • And for to make this treatise the more pleasaunt and facill, I have put it in forme of a Dialogue, which I have diuided into three bookes: The first speaking of Magie in general, and Necromancie in special.
  • * 1652 Gaule The Magastromancer
  • And in one word for all, Nagomancy', or ' Necromancy ; by inspecting, consulting, and divining by, with, or from the dead.
  • * 1867 E. Rogers, quoted in K. Thomas Relig. & Decline of Magic
  • the Devil did often tempt me to study necromancy' and ' nigromancy and to make use of magic, and to make a league with him...
  • * 1920 L. Spence Encyc. Occult
  • There is no doubt..that necromancy is the touch-stone of occultism...
  • Loosely, any sorcery or witchcraft, especially involving death or the dead, particularly sorcery involving raising]] or [[reanimate, reanimating the dead.
  • Derived terms

    * thread necromancy