chem·is·try

[kem-uh-stree]
noun, plural chem·is·tries.
1.
the science that deals with the composition and properties of substances and various elementary forms of matter. Compare element ( def 2 ).
2.
chemical properties, reactions, phenomena, etc.: the chemistry of carbon.
3.
the interaction of one personality with another: The chemistry between him and his boss was all wrong.
4.
sympathetic understanding; rapport: the astonishing chemistry between the actors.
5.
any or all of the elements that make up something: the chemistry of love.

Origin:
1590–1600; chemist + -ry; replacing chymistry, chimistry

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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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00:10
Chemistry is always a great word to know.
So is callithumpian. Does it mean:
a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.
an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance.
Collins
World English Dictionary
chemistry (ˈkɛmɪstrɪ) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n , pl -tries
1.  inorganic chemistry organic chemistry See also physical chemistry the branch of physical science concerned with the composition, properties, and reactions of substances
2.  the composition, properties, and reactions of a particular substance
3.  the nature and effects of any complex phenomenon: the chemistry of humour
4.  informal a reaction, taken to be instinctual, between two persons
 
[C17: from earlier chimistrie, from chimistchemist]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

chemistry
1605 (see chemical), originally "alchemy;" the meaning "natural physical process" is 1646, and the scientific study not so called until 1788. The figurative sense of "instinctual attraction or affinity" is older, c.1600, from the alchemical sense.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

chemistry chem·is·try (kěm'ĭ-strē)
n.
Abbr. chem.

  1. The science of the composition, structure, properties, and reactions of matter, especially of atomic and molecular systems.

  2. The composition, structure, properties, and reactions of a substance.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
chemistry   (kěm'ĭ-strē)  Pronunciation Key 
  1. The scientific study of the structure, properties, and reactions of the chemical elements and the compounds they form.

  2. The composition, structure, properties, and reactions of a substance.


The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary

chemistry definition


The study of the composition, properties, and reactions of matter, particularly at the level of atoms and molecules.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Example sentences
The chemistry of the resulting rainfall depends on the composition of the
  particles that made the cloud.
In chemistry he must perform sixty experiments, covering the elements of the
  science.
In fact, all of chemistry is a bit of an inside job.
The sciences that provide the model are physics and chemistry.
Images for chemistry
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