to sublime
1
8.2
- verb
- /səˈblaɪm/
- Specialized
:
sublimarse
- When heated gently, solid iodine will sublime to form purple vapors without turning into a liquid.
Examples
-
The snowball shifted slightly and more steam sublimed off, then another few seconds passed before the remaining snow melted into a bubbling puddle.
Fiction book (1996) -
However, the clear and cold weather that usually follows a snowstorm induces a steep temperature gradient in the snow, which causes the snow to sublime and the vapor to diffuse upward toward surface layers.
Academic text (2011) -
The liminal tropes are now sublimed, as the Visionary has ironically moved from twilight to pure light, from crossing the threshold to the shore of vision, from the world of matter to spirit.
Academic text (1997) -
Dry ice will sublime directly into carbon dioxide gas when exposed to room temperature.
-
As the ice warmed in the sunlight, it gradually sublimed and vanished into the air.
Synonyms
1
8.7
To change from a solid to a gas without becoming liquid
Compounds
- Literature
A very strong feeling of admiration and excitement that inspires wonder
Surface Forms
Etymology
Sublime as a verb comes from the Latin sublimare, which means 'to raise up' and was used for turning things into gas. Think of a solid that 'rises' straight into gas without melting — in science, to sublime is to change directly from solid to gas.