[h=2]a·poth·e·o·sis[/h] [uh-poth-ee-oh-sis, ap-uh-thee-uh-sis] Show IPA
noun,
plural a·poth·e·o·ses [uh-poth-ee-oh-seez, ap-uh-thee-uh-seez] Show IPA . 1. the elevation
or exaltation of
a person to the rank of a god.
2.
the ideal example;
epitome; quintessence: This poem is the apotheosis of lyric
expression.
Origin:
1570–80; < Late Latin < Greek. See
apo-,
theo-,
-osis
Thanks for getting me to look up the word apotheosis! Until then I only knew the word under its second meaning - setting an ideal example. Or rather targeting an ideal example. So between the two meanings number one does not appear in any degree I've seen or read and if it appears in M-M that explains why it is irregular. And number two appears in pretty much all of our degrees.
The alchemy part is there whether you look for it or not. Targeting an ideal example ...