Dictionary
sub•li•mate
Pronunciation: (
—v.sub'lu-māt";
—n., adj.sub'lu-mit, -māt"), [key]
—v., -mat•ed, -mat•ing,
—n., adj.
—
v.t.
1. Psychol.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.
2. Chem.
a. to sublime (a solid substance); extract by this process.
b. to refine or purify (a substance).
3. to make nobler or purer:
To read about great men sublimates ambition.
—
v.i.
to become sublimated; undergo sublimation.
—
n.
Chem.the crystals, deposit, or material obtained when a substance is sublimated.
—
adj.
purified or exalted; sublimated.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.