sublime
Part of speech: verb
adj
noun
Morphological type: simple
Topics: anatomy
chemistry
medicine
natural-sciences
pathology
physical-sciences
sciences
Etymology: PIE word
 *upó
Partly from the following:
* From Middle English sublimen, sublime, sublyme (“to exalt, extol, glorify, honour; (alchemy) to refine (a substance) by vaporizing in a closed container; to obtain (a substance) by cooling vapour obtained through sublimation; to extract (a pure substance) from a mixture by sublimation; to sublimate (a substance)”), from Middle French sublimer, Old French sublimer (“to exalt, glorify, honour; to refine (a substance) by vaporizing in a closed container; of a substance: to undergo sublimation”) (modern French sublimer), and from its etymon Latin sublīmāre, the present active infinitive of sublimō (“to elevate, raise; to soar”) (compare Late Latin sublimō (“to elevate, raise; to exalt, glorify, honour; to sublimate, vaporize”)), from sublīmis (“elevated, raised; exalted, uplifted, sublime; elevated in style”) (from sub- (prefix meaning ‘under; up to’) + possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *Heh₃l- (“to bend”) (whence Latin līmen (“threshold”) and līmus (“askew; sideways”))) + -ō (suffix forming regular first-conjugation verbs).
* From sublime (adjective).
Cognates
* Catalan sublimar
* Italian sublimare
* Old Occitan sublimar
* Portuguese sublimar
* Spanish sublimar
Inflected forms:
form: sublimes
pos: verb
tags: present
singular
third-person
form: subliming
pos: verb
tags: participle
present
form: sublimed
pos: verb
tags: participle
past
form: sublimed
pos: verb
tags: past
form: no-table-tags
pos: verb
tags: table-tags
form: glossary
pos: verb
tags: inflection-template
form: sublime
pos: verb
tags: infinitive
form: sublime
pos: verb
tags: first-person
present
singular
form: sublimed
pos: verb
tags: first-person
past
singular
form: sublime
pos: verb
tags: present
second-person
singular
form: sublimest
pos: verb
tags: archaic
present
second-person
singular
form: sublimed
pos: verb
tags: past
second-person
singular
form: sublimedst
pos: verb
tags: archaic
past
second-person
singular
form: sublimes
pos: verb
tags: present
singular
third-person
form: sublimeth
pos: verb
tags: archaic
present
singular
third-person
form: sublimed
pos: verb
tags: past
singular
third-person
form: sublime
pos: verb
tags: plural
present
form: sublimed
pos: verb
tags: past
plural
form: sublime
pos: verb
tags: present
subjunctive
form: sublimed
pos: verb
tags: past
subjunctive
form: sublime
pos: verb
tags: imperative
present
form: -
pos: verb
tags: imperative
past
form: subliming
pos: verb
tags: participle
present
form: sublimed
pos: verb
tags: participle
past
form: sublimer
pos: adj
tags: comparative
form: sublimest
pos: adj
tags: superlative
form: sublimes
pos: noun
tags: plural
Senses:
gloss: Synonym of sublimate.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: Sub[tle]. […] VVho are you?
 Ana[nias]. A faithfull Brother, if it pleaſe you.
 Sub. VVhat's that?
 A Lullianiſt? a Ripley? Filius artis?
 Can you ſublime, and dulcefie?
The aſhes either of Pit-Coal, or Sea-Coal, make no Efferveſcence vvith Alkalies or Acids. VVhence the ſaline Principle is altogether volatile, and ſublimed avvay by the fire.
gloss: Synonym of sublimate.
pos: verb
tags: archaic
transitive
examples: [I]t [niter, or sodium carbonate] Calcineth, Sublimeth and Diſſolveth Minerals and Metals.
gloss: To raise (someone or an intangible thing) to a state of (especially moral or spiritual) excellence; to exalt.
pos: verb
tags: broadly
figuratively
transitive
examples: Thoſe vvords vvhich doe ſublime the quinteſſence of bliſſe, […]
Miſtris Medulla, the Sunne of honour ſhine upon your hopes, till it ſublime you to a Ladiſhip: I vvill attend you preſently.
[W]e may finde […] that confirmation in grace, I say, by which free will is transfigured and sublimed into a state divine; […]
[B]y his [Jesus's] preſence he alſo hallovved marriage, and made it honourable, not onely in a civill account, and the rites of Heraldry, but in a ſpirituall ſenſe, he having nevv ſublim'd it by making it a Sacramentall repreſentment of the union of Chriſt and his Spouſe the Church.
An extraordinary miniſtery needs an extraordinary and a miraculous gift; that is a miraculous calling and vocation and deſignation by the holy Ghoſt; but an ordinary gift cannot ſublime an ordinary perſon to a ſupernaturall imployment; […]
[T]hat Art being ſtrengthned by the knovvledge of things, may at length paſs into Nature by ſlovv degrees; and ſo in proceſs of time may be ſublim'd into a pure Genius vvhich is capable of chooſing judiciouſly vvhat is true; […]
Monimia hears not my complaints; her ſoul, ſublimed far, far above all ſublunary cares, enjoys that felicity, of vvhich ſhe was debarred on earth.
[H]e, the œconomiſt, diſpoſer, and ſhepherd of his ovvn kindred, ſubliming himſelf into an airy metaphyſician, vvas reſolved to knovv nothing of his flocks, but as men in general.
Call it not
 Revenge; thus sanctified and thus sublimed,
 'Tis duty, 'tis devotion.
This character may be considered as a personification of the pride of will and eagerness of curiosity, sublimed beyond the reach of fear and remorse.
That beauty, which the hues of thought create
 By thee enchanted,—slakes the mental fire
 That parches us within: and yearning dreams,
 And aspirations high as immortality,
 Thy power sublimeth with mysterious aid.
His very selfishness therefore is sublimed into public spirit: and this public spirit is stimulated to fierce enthusiasm by sympathy, by the desire of applause, and by the dread of infamy.
[…] Bob's countenance was sublimed by his recent interview, like that of a priest just come from the penetralia of the temple.
gloss: To cause (someone or something) to ascend; to raise (someone or something) to a high position.
pos: verb
tags: obsolete
transitive
examples: I am ſublim'd! groſſe earth
 Supports me not. I vvalk on ayr!
But thou (dear Vine) forbid'ſt me to be long,
 Although thy Trunk be neither large, nor ſtrong,
 Nor can thy Head (not helpt) it ſelf ſublime,
 Yet like a Serpent, a tall Tree can climb, […]
Formerly, to attack a community intrenched in laws, customs, institutions, and beliefs, required dauntless courage—a soul sublimed by an idea above the region of vanity and conceit—a character resolutely facing responsibilities it clearly realized, and especially a penetrating vision into the spirit and heart of the objects assailed.
gloss: To cause (juice or sap) to rise in a plant.
pos: verb
tags: obsolete
transitive
examples: [Camfire, i.e., camphor] ſeemeth plainely to be ſo made by art, being caſt as it vvere or ſublimed into broad round pans or diſhes and little above the thickneſſe of ones thumbe, […]
gloss: Especially of the sun: to heat (something) and cause vapours, etc., to rise from it.
pos: verb
tags: obsolete
transitive
examples: Some the French VVriters, ſome our ovvn deſpiſe;
 The Ancients only, or the Moderns prize:
 […]
 Meanly they ſeek the Bleſſing to confine,
 And force that Sun but on a Part to Shine;
 VVhich not alone the Southern VVit ſublimes,
 But ripens Spirits in cold Northern Climes; […]
[O]n the swamps of the Caroni the malarious fog hung motionless in long straight lines, waiting for the first blaze of sunrise to sublime it and its invisible poisons into the upper air, where it would be swept off, harmless, by the trade-wind which rushed along half a mile above our heads.
gloss: To purify (someone) from a bad influence or from sin.
pos: verb
tags: obsolete
transitive
gloss: To raise (someone) to a high office or status; to dignify, to exalt.
pos: verb
tags: obsolete
transitive
examples: Thou Vermine, haue I tane thee, out of dung,
 […]
 Sublim'd thee, and exalted thee, and fix'd thee
 I'the third region, the high ſtate of grace?
gloss: To raise (a physical thing) to a state of excellence; to improve.
pos: verb
tags: obsolete
transitive
examples: [I]t [bread used for communion] is made 'sacramental and eucharistical,' and so it is sublimed to become the body of Christ. But it is natural food still, […]
[F]lours and thir fruit
 Mans nouriſhment, by gradual ſcale ſublim'd
 To vital Spirits aſpire, […]
[T]hat ſpiritual Subſtance vvas analogous to Matter infinitely rarefied, refin'd or ſublim'd: Then, in the Geometrical Manner of conſidering ſuch reſpective Qualities and their Subject, Body infinitely rarefied, refin'd and ſublim'd, vvould at laſt terminat in limited Space or Expanſion; […]
Ring for your valet—bid him quickly bring
 Some hock and soda-water, then you'll know
 […]
 For not the blest sherbet, sublimed with snow,
 […]
 After long travel, ennui, love, or slaughter,
 Vie with that draught of hock and soda-water.
gloss: Synonym of sublimate.
pos: verb
tags: intransitive
examples: Then diſtil it, and you ſhall have a Philoſophical ☿ [mercury], and what Sublimeth is the Sulphur, which keep apart.
gloss: Synonym of sublimate.
pos: verb
tags: intransitive
gloss: To become higher in quality or status; to improve.
pos: verb
tags: broadly
figuratively
intransitive
gloss: High, tall, towering; also, positioned in a high place; high-up, lofty.
pos: adj
tags: archaic
obsolete
poetic
examples: The Heroe, looking on the left, eſpy'd
 A lofty Tovv'r, and ſtrong on ev'ry ſide
 […]
 Vain is the force of Man, and Heav'ns as van,
 To cruſh the Pillars vvhich the Pile ſuſtain.
 Sublime on theſe a Tovv'r of Steel is rear'd;
 And dire Tiſiphone these keeps the VVard.
gloss: Of an aspect of art or nature: causing awe or deep respect due to its beauty or magnificence; awe-inspiring, impressive.
pos: adj
tags: figuratively
examples: sublime scenery
We had entered the clouds. For half-an-hour we were muffled in a cold, damp mist, and total darkness, and had begun to think of going indoors when, all at once, the car burst into the pure and starlit region of the upper air. A cry of joyous admiration escaped from us all. The spectacle before us was indeed sublime.
gloss: Of flight: ascending, soaring.
pos: adj
tags: figuratively
gloss: Of an idea or other thing: requiring great intellectual effort to appreciate or understand; very elevated, refined, or subtle.
pos: adj
tags: figuratively
gloss: Of language, style, or writing: expressing opinions in a grand way.
pos: adj
tags: figuratively
gloss: Of a person or their actions or qualities: intellectually, morally, or spiritually superior.
pos: adj
tags: figuratively
examples: a sublime deed
Know how sublime a thing it is,
 To suffer and be strong.
Crown Him the Lord of Years!
 The Potentate of Time,—
 Creator of the rolling spheres,
 Ineffably sublime!
You know, when I first met you, Claire, I thought that here might finally be a chance for me to be a class-act for once. To develop something sublime about myself. Well fuck sublime, Claire. I don't want dainty little moments of insight. I want everything and I want it now.
gloss: Of an office or status: very high; exalted; also, used as an honorific (often capitalized as Sublime) to refer to someone of high office or status, especially the Ottoman sultan; or to things associated with such a person.
pos: adj
tags: figuratively
examples: the Sublime Porte
gloss: Of a thing: consummate, perfect; (informal, loosely) excellent, marvellous, wonderful.
pos: adj
tags: figuratively
examples: Thy even Thoughts vvith ſo much Plainneſs flovv,
 Their Senſe untutor'd Infancy may knovv;
 Yet to ſuch height is all that Plainneſs vvrought,
 VVit may admire, and letter'd Pride be taught:
 Eaſie in VVords thy Style, in Senſe ſublime,
 On its bleſt Steps each Age and Sex may riſe,
 'Tis like the Ladder in the Patriarch's Dream,
 Its foot on Earth, its height beyond the Skies.
Cigarettes are poison and they taste bad; they are not exactly beautiful, they are exactly sublime. The difference, to use the terms in which [Immanuel] Kant makes the distinction, means that smoking cigarettes gives rise to forms of aesthetic pleasure painfully at odds with the affect arising from the contemplation in tranquillity, say, of a well-wrought urn.
gloss: Of a person: dignified, majestic, noble.
pos: adj
tags: archaic
figuratively
poetic
examples: the sublime Julian leader
gloss: Of a person: haughty, proud.
pos: adj
tags: archaic
figuratively
poetic
examples: countenance sublime and insolent
His fair large Front and Eye ſublime declar'd
 Abſolute rule;
gloss: Complete, downright, utter.
pos: adj
tags: figuratively
informal
examples: He is behaving like a sublime idiot.
gloss: Elevated by joy; elated.
pos: adj
tags: figuratively
obsolete
examples: While thir hearts were jocund and ſublime,
 Drunk with Idolatry, drunk with Wine,
gloss: Of a substance: purified, refined; hence, of the highest quality.
pos: adj
tags: figuratively
obsolete
gloss: Of arms: lifted up, raised.
pos: adj
tags: obsolete
poetic
postpositional
gloss: Of a muscle (especially the flexor digitorum superficialis muscle of the forearm which lies above the flexor digitorum profundus muscle): positioned above another muscle; superficial.
pos: adj
tags: obsolete
gloss: Of breathing: very laboured.
pos: adj
tags: obsolete
gloss: Something which is sublime; a sublimity.
pos: noun
tags: archaic
countable
uncountable
examples: Car[los]. VVhat is your opinion of the Play?
 Yo[ung] Mag[got]. […] There are a great many ſublimes that are very Poetical.
[S]ince there are tvvo ſorts of Sublimes, the one of Nonſence, and the other of Eloquence, I vvill not take upon me to judge to vvhich of theſe this belongs.
Novv, vvhat a fine Opportunity vvas here of introducing his Story, in all the Blaze and Terror of anxious and diſordered Nature? VVith vvhat a Sublime might that Flaſh of Lightning have been brought in, to grace the approaching Ruin, […]
gloss: In the form the sublime of: the highest degree; the acme, the height.
pos: noun
tags: archaic
countable
uncountable
examples: No solemn, antique gentleman of rhyme,
 Who having angled all his life for fame,
 And getting but a nibble at a time,
 Still fussily keeps fishing on, the same
 Small "Triton of the minnows," the sublime
 Of mediocrity, the furious tame, […]
gloss: Chiefly preceded by the.
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncountable
examples: [T]he vvhole capacity of the eye, vibrating in all its parts muſt approach near to the nature of vvhat cauſes pain, and conſequently muſt produce an idea of the ſublime. Or if vve take it, that one point only of an object is diſtinguiſhable at oince; the matter vvill amount nearly to the ſame thing, or rather it vvill make the origin of the ſublime from greatneſs of dimenſion yet clearer.
[Our old meeting house's] double row of windows, of which I knew the number by heart, its doors with great wooden quirls over them, its belfry projecting out that the east end, its steeple and bell, all inspired as much sense of the sublime in me as Stratsburg Cathedral itself, and the inside was not a whit less imposing.
gloss: Chiefly preceded by the.
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncountable
examples: And, after, feigning pique at what she call'd
 The raillery, or grotesque, or false sublime—
 Like one that wishes at a dance to change
 The music—clapt her hands and cried for war,
 Or some grand fight to kill and make an end: […]
gloss: Chiefly preceded by the.
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncountable
examples: The ſublime and the ridiculous are often ſo nearly related, that it is difficult to claſs them ſeparately. One ſtep above the ſublime, makes the ridiculous; and one ſtep above the ridiculous, makes the ſublime again.
There was an iciness, a sinking, a sickening of the heart—an unredeemed dreariness of thought which no goading of the imagination could torture into aught of the sublime. What was it—I paused to think—what was it that so unnerved me in the contemplation of the House of Usher?
For Asa Skinner was a man possessed of a belief, of that sentiment of the sublime before which all inequalities are leveled, that transport of conviction which seems superior to all laws of condition, under which debauchees have become martyrs; which made a tinker an artist and a camel-driver the founder of an empire.
gloss: The quality or state of being sublime; sublimeness, sublimity.
pos: noun
tags: archaic
uncountable
examples: [W]hatever VVord or Sentence is Printed in a different Character, ſhall be judged to contain ſomething extraordinary either of VVit or Sublime.
Antonyms: deposit
desublimate
base
unsublime
Related words: Sublime Porte
Derived words: resublime
resublimination
sublimability
sublimable
sublimatable
sublimate
sublimated
sublimating
sublimation
sublimational
sublimator
sublimed
sublimer
subliming
unsublimated
unsublimed
oversublime
sublimely
sublimeness
sublimification
sublimified
subliminal
sublimise
sublimize
sublimish
sublimity
sublimityship
Translations:
lang: Armenian
word: վեհ
roman: veh
lang: Bulgarian
word: благороден
roman: blagoroden
lang: Bulgarian
word: възвишен
roman: vǎzvišen
lang: Catalan
word: sublim
lang: Chinese Mandarin
word: 崇高
roman: chónggāo
lang: Czech
word: vznešený
lang: Danish
word: sublim
lang: Esperanto
word: majesta
lang: Esperanto
word: nobla
lang: Finnish
word: ylevä
lang: Finnish
word: ylhäinen
lang: French
word: sublime
lang: Galician
word: sublime
lang: German
word: sublim
lang: German
word: erhaben
lang: German
word: hehr
lang: German
word: nobel
lang: Hungarian
word: előkelő
lang: Hungarian
word: nemes
lang: Italian
word: sublime
lang: Japanese
word: 高邁
roman: kōmai
lang: Japanese
word: 崇高
roman: sūkō
lang: Korean
word: 숭고한
roman: sunggohan
lang: Macedonian
word: возвишен
roman: vozvišen
lang: Norwegian Bokmål
word: sublim
lang: Old Norse
word: gǫfugr
lang: Polish
word: wzniosły
lang: Portuguese
word: sublime
lang: Russian
word: вели́чественный
roman: velíčestvennyj
lang: Russian
word: возвы́шенный
roman: vozvýšennyj
lang: Sanskrit
word: ऋष्व
roman: ṛṣva
lang: Serbo-Croatian
word: у̀звӣшен
lang: Serbo-Croatian
word: ùzvīšen
lang: Spanish
word: sublime