Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Alembic \A*lem"bic\ ([.a]*l[e^]m"b[i^]k), n. [F. alambic (cf.
   Sp. alambique), Ar. al-anb[=i]q, fr. Gr. 'a`mbix cup, cap of
   a still. The cap or head was the alembic proper. Cf.
   {Limbec}.]
   An apparatus formerly used in distillation, usually made of
   glass or metal. It has mostly given place to the retort and
   worm still.

   Note: Used also metaphorically.

               The alembic of a great poet's imagination.
                                                  --Brimley.

Source : WordNet®

alembic
     n : an obsolete kind of container used for distillation; two
         retorts connected by a tube