The Arabic  in turn was a borrowing of the Late Greek term khēmeía (), also spelled khumeia () and khēmía (), with al- being the Arabic definite article 'the'.
ðɪ ˈæɹɐbˌɪk ɪn tˈɜːn wʌzɐ bˈɑːɹoʊɪŋ ʌvðə lˈeɪt ɡɹˈiːk tˈɜːm kˈɛmeɪə, ˈɔːlsoʊ spˈɛld kjˈuːmeɪə ænd kˈɛmiə, wɪð ˈæl bˌiːɪŋ ðɪ ˈæɹɐbˌɪk dˈɛfɪnət ˈɑːɹɾɪkəl ðə.