sublime
    adj 1: inspiring awe; "well-meaning ineptitude that rises to
           empyreal absurdity"- M.S.Dworkin; "empyrean aplomb"-
           Hamilton Basso; "the sublime beauty of the night" [syn:
           empyreal, empyrean, sublime]
    2: worthy of adoration or reverence [syn: reverend, sublime]
    3: lifted up or set high; "their hearts were jocund and
       sublime"- Milton
    4: of high moral or intellectual value; elevated in nature or
       style; "an exalted ideal"; "argue in terms of high-flown
       ideals"- Oliver Franks; "a noble and lofty concept"; "a grand
       purpose" [syn: exalted, elevated, sublime, grand,
       high-flown, high-minded, lofty, rarefied, rarified,
       idealistic, noble-minded]
    v 1: vaporize and then condense right back again [syn:
         sublime, sublimate]
    2: change or cause to change directly from a solid into a vapor
       without first melting; "sublime iodine"; "some salts sublime
       when heated" [syn: sublime, sublimate]

Sublime \Sub*lime"\, a. [Compar. Sublimer; superl.
   Sublimest.] [L. sublimis; sub under + (perhaps) a word akin
   to limen lintel, sill, thus meaning, up to the lintel: cf. F.
   sublime. Cf. Eliminate.]
   1. Lifted up; high in place; exalted aloft; uplifted; lofty.
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            Sublime on these a tower of steel is reared.
                                                  --Dryden.
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   2. Distinguished by lofty or noble traits; eminent; -- said
      of persons. "The sublime Julian leader." --De Quincey.
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   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.
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            Easy in words thy style, in sense sublime. --Prior.
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            Know how sublime a thing it is
            To suffer and be strong.              --Longfellow.
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   4. Elevated by joy; elate. [Poetic]
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            Their hearts were jocund and sublime,
            Drunk with idolatry, drunk with wine. --Milton.
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   5. Lofty of mien; haughty; proud. [Poetic] "Countenance
      sublime and insolent." --Spenser.
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            His fair, large front and eye sublime declared
            Absolute rule.                        --Milton.
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   Syn: Exalted; lofty; noble; majestic. See Grand.
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Sublime \Sub*lime"\, n.
   That which is sublime; -- with the definite article; as:
   (a) A grand or lofty style in speaking or writing; a style
       that expresses lofty conceptions.
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             The sublime rises from the nobleness of thoughts,
             the magnificence of words, or the harmonious and
             lively turn of the phrase.           --Addison.
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   (b) That which is grand in nature or art, as distinguished
       from the merely beautiful.
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Sublime \Sub*lime"\, v. i. (Chem.)
   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.
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Sublime \Sub*lime"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Sublimed; p. pr. &
   vb. n. Subliming.] [Cf. L. sublimare, F. sublimer to
   subject to sublimation. See Sublime, a., and cf.
   Sublimate, v. t.]
   1. To raise on high. [Archaic]
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            A soul sublimed by an idea above the region of
            vanity and conceit.                   --E. P.
                                                  Whipple.
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   2. (Chem.) 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.
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   3. To exalt; to heighten; to improve; to purify.
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            The sun . . .
            Which not alone the southern wit sublimes,
            But ripens spirits in cold, northern climes. --Pope.
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   4. To dignify; to ennoble.
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            An ordinary gift can not sublime a person to a
            supernatural employment.              --Jer. Taylor.
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