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sublimate (v.)

1590s, "raise to a high place," back-formation from sublimation or else from Medieval Latin sublimatus, past participle of sublimare "to lift up." The word was used in English from 1560s as a past-participle adjective meaning "purified, refined by sublimation." Chemical/alchemical sense of "heat a solid into vapor and allow it to cool again" as a way of extracting a pure substance from dross is from c. 1600. Related: Sublimated; sublimating. As a noun from 1620s.

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Definitions of sublimate from WordNet
1
sublimate (v.)
direct energy or urges into useful activities;
sublimate (v.)
make more subtle or refined;
Synonyms: rarefy / subtilize
sublimate (v.)
remove impurities from, increase the concentration of, and separate through the process of distillation;
Synonyms: purify / make pure / distill
sublimate (v.)
change or cause to change directly from a solid into a vapor without first melting;
Synonyms: sublime
sublimate (v.)
vaporize and then condense right back again;
Synonyms: sublime
2
sublimate (n.)
the product of vaporization of a solid;
3
sublimate (adj.)
made pure;
From wordnet.princeton.edu