Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun In chem., the act or process of sublimating; a process by which solid substances are, by the aid of heat, converted into vapor, which is again condensed into the solid state by the application of cold.
  • noun The act of heightening, refining, purifying, or freeing (something) from baser qualities: as, the sublimation of the affections.
  • noun That which has been highly refined or purified; hence, the highest product of anything.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun (Chem.) The act or process of subliming, or the state or result of being sublimed.
  • noun The act of heightening or improving; exaltation; elevation; purification.
  • noun That which is sublimed; the product of a purifying process.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun The transition of a substance from the solid phase directly to the vapor state such that it does not pass through the intermediate liquid phase.
  • noun The transformation of an impulse into something socially constructive.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun (chemistry) a change directly from the solid to the gaseous state without becoming liquid
  • noun (psychology) modifying the natural expression of an impulse or instinct (especially a sexual one) to one that is socially acceptable

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Medieval Latin sublimationem.

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word sublimation.

Examples

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.

  • i do this ALL THE TIME. It works.

    Although... im not sure that

    repressed erotic energy is the source of all human development.

    March 12, 2008

  • In printing this refers to a technique of heat transfer of images.

    "The sublimation name is applied because the dye transitions between the solid and gas states without going through a liquid stage."

    - Wikipedia.

    The process is sometimes referred to as dye-sub. Artefacts produced by the technique are said to be sublimated.

    March 11, 2011

  • auditing..

    search engine optimization service

    January 15, 2012