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sublime

/səˈblaɪm/ verb

Latin root: sublīmāre Wiktionary

verb Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about sublime at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

  1. Vaporize and then condense right back again.
  2. Change or cause to change directly from a solid into a vapor without first melting.
    sublime iodine

adjective

  1. Inspiring awe.
    well-meaning ineptitude that rises to empyreal absurdity
  2. Worthy of adoration or reverence.
  3. Lifted up or set high.
    their hearts were jocund and sublime

Origin

PIE word *upó Partly from the following: * From Middle English sublimen, sublime, sublyme (“to exalt, extol, glorify, honour; (alchemy) to refine (a substance) by vaporizing in a closed container; to obtain (a substance) by cooling vapour obtained through sublimation; to extract (a pure substance) from a mixture by sublimation; to sublimate (a substance)”), from Middle French sublimer, Old French sublimer (“to exalt, glorify, honour; to refine (a substance) by vaporizing in a closed container; of a substance: to undergo sublimation”) (modern French sublimer), and from its etymon Latin sublīmāre, the present active infinitive of sublimō (“to elevate, raise; to soar”) (compare Late Latin subli.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)