Alchemy (from Arabic: al-kīmiyā; from Ancient Greek: χυμεία, khumeía) is an ancient branch of natural philosophy, a philosophical and protoscientific tradition that was historically practiced in China, India, the Muslim world, and Europe.
ˈælkəmi fɹʌm ˈæɹɐbˌɪk: ˈælkˈɪmɪjə; fɹʌm ˈeɪntʃənt ɡɹˈiːk: tʃˈaɪˈʊpsɪlənmjˈuːˈɛpsɪlˌɑːnaɪˈoʊɾəˈælfə, kjˈuːmeɪə ɪz ɐn ˈeɪntʃənt bɹˈæntʃ ʌv nˈætʃɚɹəl fɪlˈɑːsəfi, ɐ fˌɪləsˈɑːfɪkəl ænd pɹˌoʊɾoʊsaɪəntˈɪfɪk tɹɐdˈɪʃən ðæt wʌz hɪstˈɔːɹɪkli pɹˈæktɪst ɪn tʃˈaɪnə, ˈɪndiə, ðə mˈʊzlɪm wˈɜːld, ænd jˈʊɹɹəp.