sublimate: Meaning and Definition of

sub•li•mate

Pronunciation: (v.sub'lu-māt"n., adj.sub'lu-mit, -māt"), [key]
— v., n., adj. -mat•ed, -mat•ing,
—v.t.
  1. to divert the energy of (a sexual or other biological impulse) from its immediate goal to one of a more acceptable social, moral, or aesthetic nature or use.
    1. to sublime (a solid substance); extract by this process.
    2. to refine or purify (a substance).
  2. to make nobler or purer: To read about great men sublimates ambition.
—v.i.
  1. to become sublimated; undergo sublimation.
—n.
  1. the crystals, deposit, or material obtained when a substance is sublimated.
—adj.
  1. purified or exalted; sublimated.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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