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sublime

1. Lifted up; high in place; exalted aloft; uplifted; lofty. Sublime on these a tower of steel is reared. (Dryden)

2. Distinguished by lofty or noble traits; eminent; said of persons. The sublime Julian leader.

3. Awakening or expressing the emotion of awe, adoration, veneration, heroic resolve, etc.; dignified; grand; solemn; stately; said of an impressive object in nature, of an action, of a discourse, of a work of art, of a spectacle, etc.; as, sublime scenery; a sublime deed. Easy in words thy style, in sense sublime. (prior) Know how sublime a thing it is To suffer and be strong. (Longfellow)

4. Elevated by joy; elate. Their hearts were jocund and sublime, drunk with idolatry, drunk with wine. (milton)

5. Lofty of mien; haughty; proud. Countenance sublime and insolent. His fair, large front and eye sublime declared absolute rule. (milton)

Synonym: Exalted, lofty, noble, majestic. See Grand.

Origin: L. Sublimis; sub under _ (perhaps) a word akin to limen lintel, sill, thus meaning, up to the lintel: cf. F. Sublime. Cf. Eliminate.

1. To raise on high. A soul sublimed by an idea above the region of vanity and conceit. (E. P. Whipple)

2. (Science: chemistry) To subject to the process of sublimation; to heat, volatilize, and condense in crystals or powder; to distill off, and condense in solid form; hence, also, to purify.

3. To exalt]]; to heighten; to improve; to purify. The sun . . . Which not alone the southern wit sublimes, But ripens spirits in cold, northern climes. (pope)

4. To dignify; to ennoble. An ordinary gift can not sublime a person to a supernatural employment. (Jer. Taylor)

Origin: Cf. L. Sublimare, F. Sublimer to subject to sublimation. See Sublime, and cf. Sublimate.

(Science: chemistry) To pass off in vapor, with immediate condensation; specifically, to evaporate or volatilize from the solid state without apparent melting; said of those substances, like arsenic, benzoic acid, etc, which do not exhibit a liquid form on heating, except under increased pressure.