In alchemy, any stone, substance or powder that will turn base metals into gold.
An Alchemical term. "The Prima Materia. The Powder of Projection. The First Substance from which all other metals derived. Supposedly the Philosopher's Stone could be used to transmute base metals gold or silver, cure disease, and prolong life. It is associated with the Elixir of Life. The Philosopher's Stone is often used as a symbol of illumination." - from The Magician's Companion
The legendary substance of alchemists having properties that could transform lead into gold.
a hypothetical substance that the alchemists believed to be capable of changing base metals into gold
A wonderous beacon of sublime wisdom and awesome revelation, a powerful conjurer's device, perhaps even an extraterrestrial gem encoded with unimagined, otherworldly knowledge. For centuries alchemists, mystics, learned men and seekers of truth questted for the fabled Philosopher's Stone, ,not really knowing where or even precisely what it was. Oncee obtained, it would impart the wisdom of the world and of the angels. Should this actually exist and is in someone's possession, ,it may well be regarded as one more enigmatic artifact, since it is unlikely to include instructions
in the Middle Ages it was believed that he who found the Philosopher's Stone would achieve the Alchemist goal of transforming base metals (lead) into gold.
The elusive "substance" sought by Alchemists, which would somehow transfer "stuff" into gold.
The philosopher's stone, in Latin lapis philosophorum, is a legendary substance that supposedly could turn inexpensive metals such as lead into gold ("chrysopoeia") and/or create an elixir that would make humans younger, thus delaying death. It was a longtime "holy grail" of Western alchemy. In the view of spiritual alchemy, making the philosopher's stone would bring enlightenment upon the maker and conclude the Great Work.
In the anime/manga Fullmetal Alchemist, the Philosopher's Stone is the central element that drives the plot, and the object of the Elric Brothers' (the story's protagonists) search.