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  What it means

  Literally “the philosopher’s stone.” The legendary alchemical substance said to turn base metals into gold and grant immortality — used figuratively for any elusive, magical solution to all problems.

  Vocabulary

  • kamień — stone
  • filozoficzny — philosophical

  Grammar note

  Nominative masculine noun phrase. Used both literally (alchemy) and figuratively (an impossible cure-all).

  Cultural context

  Alchemy had a strong tradition in Central Europe — Polish kings patronised alchemists at the royal court in Kraków.

  Intermediate

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