# chemistry

Pronunciation: say "KEM-i-stree" /ˈkɛm.ɪ.stɹi/

## Noun

1. The branch of natural science concerned with the composition of substances and the changes they undergo when their molecules are altered.
   - Simple: The science that studies what things are made of and how they change.
   - _Modern chemistry explains how new materials are built from simple elements._
   - _She switched from biology to chemistry in her second year of college._
2. A feeling of mutual attraction and easy rapport between two people. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: A strong feeling of attraction or connection between two people.
   - _The new co-hosts showed an easy chemistry that made the whole show feel relaxed._
   - _Despite a pleasant first date, they simply felt no chemistry._
3. The chemical makeup, properties, and reactions of a particular substance, organism, or system, as in 'the chemistry of carbon' or 'the chemistry of the deep ocean'.
   - Simple: What a particular thing is made of chemically and how it reacts.
   - _Scientists study the chemistry of the deep ocean to understand its ecosystems._
   - _Chronic stress can alter the brain's chemistry over time._
4. A blood test measuring the amounts of various serum components, such as electrolytes, creatinine, and glucose. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: A blood test that checks the levels of things like sugar and salts in your blood.
   - _The diagnosis was confirmed by repeat chemistries taken over two days._
   - _His chemistry showed elevated creatinine, prompting a kidney referral._

## Origin

First recorded in 1605, formed from "chemist" plus the suffix "-ry". "Chemist" comes from Latin alchimista, from Arabic al-kīmiyāʔ, which combined the article al- with Ancient Greek khumeía ("art of alloying metals"), perhaps ultimately from khúma ("fluid") and khumós ("juice"), from khéō ("I pour").

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/chemistry (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).