An alembic (from Arabic al-anbīq الأنبيق, from Greek ἄμβυξ ambyx possibly from Semitic) is an alchemical still consisting of two vessels connected by a tube. Technically, the alembic is the lid with a tube attachment (the capital or still-head), which is placed on top of a flask, the cucurbit, containing the material to be distilled, but the word is often used to refer to the entire distillation apparatus. If the lid and flask are in one piece, it may be called a retort. The liquid in the first flask is heated or boiled; the vapour rises and flows into the tube, where it cools and condenses, running into the second flask.
A modern descendant of the alembic (used to produce distilled beverages) is the pot still.