SUBLIMATE


Meaning of SUBLIMATE in English

I. ˈsə-blə-ˌmāt transitive verb

( -mat·ed ; -mat·ing )

Etymology: Middle English, from Medieval Latin sublimatus, past participle of sublimare

Date: 15th century

1.

a. : sublime 1

b. archaic : to improve or refine as if by subliming

2. : to divert the expression of (an instinctual desire or impulse) from its unacceptable form to one that is considered more socially or culturally acceptable

• sub·li·ma·tion ˌsə-blə-ˈmā-shən noun

II. ˈsə-blə-ˌmāt, -mət noun

Date: circa 1626

: a chemical product obtained by sublimation

Merriam-Webster's Collegiate English vocabulary.      Энциклопедический словарь английского языка Merriam Webster.