German word

Chemikalie

Pronunciation

IPA/çeːmiˈkaːli̯ə/

Meaning

  • feminine nounchemical

Example

Wir müssen alte Chemikalien richtig entsorgen.

We must dispose of old chemicals properly.

Illustration for Chemikalie (chemical)

More examples

Viele Reinigungsmittel enthalten Chemikalien.

Many cleaning products contain chemicals.

Core concept

A labeled bottle holds a specific substance ready for a laboratory test or an industrial process.

Common phrases

  • gefährliche Chemikalien

    hazardous chemicals

  • Chemikalien entsorgen

    dispose of chemicals

  • mit Chemikalien umgehen

    handle chemicals

Similar words

Stoff: Material or raw substance used to make or produce something.
Substanz: Matter considered in terms of its own chemical properties.

Definition in German

Ein Stoff, der gezielt für chemische Untersuchungen, Experimente oder technische Anwendungen hergestellt oder eingesetzt wird.

Word origin

Chemikalie belongs to the modern European family of words built on Chemie, which ultimately connects to Greek khēmeia, a term for chemical transformation.

Usage tips

  • Chemikalie is feminine, with the plural Chemikalien, as in alte Chemikalien for old chemicals.

Opposites

  • Naturstoffnatural substancenoun
  • Naturproduktnatural productnoun

Related words

  • Chemikalienindustriechemical industrynoun
  • Chemikaliengesetzchemicals actnoun
  • chemikalienfreichemical-freeadjective

Word lists with this word