adj. & n.
--adj.
1. TRANSCENDENT.
2 a (in Kantian philosophy) presupposed in and necessary to experience; a priori. b (in Schelling's philosophy) explaining matter and objective things as products of the subjective mind. c (esp. in Emerson's philosophy) regarding the divine as the guiding principle in man.
3 a visionary, abstract. b vague, obscure.
4 Math. (of a function) not capable of being produced by the algebraical operations of addition, multiplication, and involution, or the inverse operations.
--n. a transcendental term, conception, etc.
Phrases and idioms:
transcendental cognition a priori knowledge. Transcendental Meditation a method of detaching oneself from problems, anxiety, etc., by silent meditation and repetition of a mantra. transcendental object a real (unknown and unknowable) object. transcendental unity unity brought about by cognition.
Derivatives:
transcendentally adv.
Etymology: med.L transcendentalis (as TRANSCENDENT)