Azoth

Azoth was considered to be a universal medicine or universal solvent sought in alchemy (similar to another alchemical idealized substance, alkahest, that like azoth was the aim, goal and vision of many alchemical works). Its symbol was the Caduceus and so the term, while originally a term for an occult formula sought by alchemists much like the philosopher's stone, became a poetic word for the element mercury. The name is Medieval Latin, an alteration of azoc being originally derived from the Arabic al-zā'būq "the mercury".

Basis

Azoth is the essential agent of transformation in alchemy. It is the name given by ancient alchemists to Mercury, the animating spirit hidden in all matter that makes transmutation possible. The spelling consists of the initial letter of the Latin, Greek and Hebrew alphabets followed by the final letters of the Latin alphabet (Z), the Greek alphabet (Omega) and the Hebrew alphabet (Tau). The word comes from the Arabic al-zā'būq which means "Mercury". The word occurs in the writings of many early alchemists, such as Zosimos, Mary the Jewess, Olympiodorus, and Jābir ibn Hayyān (Geber).