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{{redirect|Kimiya|the Japanese given name|Kimiya (Japanese given name)}}
{{other uses}}
'''Kimia''' is an [[Ancient Greek]] word and a feminine given name in [[Persian language]]. It means [[elixir of life]], [[alchemy]], or the [[philosopher’s stone]].
<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/kimia|title = Welcome to Encyclopaedia Iranica}}</ref> In ancient Persian poetry, kimia means "rare" or "unique."
The word is from the [[Ancient Greek]] {{lang|grc|χημία}}, ''khēmia'', or {{lang|grc|χημεία}}, ''khēmeia'',<ref name=oed>"alchemy", entry in ''The Oxford English Dictionary'', J. A. Simpson and E. S. C. Weiner, vol. 1, 2nd ed., 1989, {{ISBN|0-19-861213-3}}.</ref><ref>p. 854, "Arabic alchemy", Georges C. Anawati, pp. 853-885 in ''Encyclopedia of the history of Arabic science'', eds. Roshdi Rashed and Régis Morelon, London: Routledge, 1996, vol. 3, {{ISBN|0-415-12412-3}}.</ref> 'art of alloying metals', from χύμα (khúma, “fluid”), from χέω (khéō, “I pour”). <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.etymonline.com/word/alchemy|title=Alchemy &#124; Origin and meaning of alchemy by Online Etymology Dictionary}}</ref>
The ultimate origin of the  word is uncertain.<ref>Encyclopedia [[Britannica]], 2002 Edition, CD-ROM</ref>
According to the ''[[Oxford English Dictionary]]'', it may be derived from the greek {{lang|grc|"χημία"}}, which is derived from the ancient [[Egyptian language|Egyptian]] name of Egypt, ''khem'' or ''khm'', ''khame'', or ''khmi'', meaning "blackness", i.e., the rich dark soil of the Nile river valley.  Therefore, alchemy can be seen as the "Egyptian art" or the "black art".<ref name=oed />  However, it is also possible that ''al-kīmiyāʾ'' derived from {{lang|grc|χημεία}}, meaning "cast together".<ref>Weekley, Ernest (1967). Etymological Dictionary of Modern English. New York: Dover Publications. {{ISBN|0-486-21873-2}}</ref>
Alchemy is a philosophical and protoscientific tradition practiced throughout Europe, Africa, and Asia. It aims to purify, mature, and perfect certain objects. Latin words for Chemistry are derived from the Ancient Greek word χημία (kimia.)
The meaning of Kimia, in the Persian literature refers to what is behind the ‘materialistic’ conception of alchemy, and instead to the secret of the spirit’s action in nature and the Universe, the macro-cosmos. By acquiring this secular wisdom of action, alchemists aspired to discover their inner (microcosmic) reality, and transmute themselves.
<ref>Corbin, 1986, pp. 71–87, 196–208; Nasr, chapter 9</ref>
The word appears ubiquitously in Persian literature. Some early usages can be seen in [[Vis and Ramin]] and Ferdowsi’s [[Shahnameh]].
Other samples in verse and prose are:
{{verse translation|{{lang|fa|که '''کیمیا'''ی سعادت در این جهان سخن است
بزرجمهر چنین گفته بود با کسری}}
|The rare of happiness is what counts in life,
Told [[Khosrow I|Kasra]] his minister [[Bozorgmehr]]
|attr1=[[Naser Khosrow]] }}
{{verse translation|{{lang|fa|صدهزاران کیمیا حق آفرید
'''کیمیا'''یی همچو صبر آدم ندید}}
|A hundred thousand unique things created by The Truth
Yet no alchemy like patience is known to Man
|attr1=[[Rumi]]}}
The word Kimia has been frequently used in other Persian poetry, including those of [[Hafez Shirazi]]:
{{verse translation|{{lang|fa|از '''کیمیا'''ی مهر تو زر گشت روی من
آری به یمن لطف شما خاک زر شود}}
|By your love’s power of transformation, my face became bright gold
Thanks to your grace, the dust can become gold.}}
and also:
{{verse translation|{{lang|fa|آنان که خاک را به نظر '''کیمیا''' کنند
آیا بُوَد که گوشه چشمی به ما کنند؟}}
|Those whose glance turns lead into gold,
Will they ever our sight behold?}}
==Notable persons==
* [[Kimia Alizadeh]] (born 1998), Iranian Olympian athlete and taekwondo player
*[[Kimia Hosseini]] (born 2003), Iranian actress
*{{Nihongo|[[Kimiya Yui]]|油井 亀美也}} (born 1970), Japanese astronaut
*{{Nihongo|[[Kimiya Sato]]|佐藤 公哉}} (born 1989), Japanese racing driver
==References==
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