It's the Word of the Day podcast for December 11th.

Today's word is sublimate, spelled S-U-B-L-I-M-A-T-E. Sublimate is a verb. To sublimate something,

such as an impulse desire or feeling, is to express it in a changed form that is socially acceptable.

Sublimate can also mean to pass directly from the solid to the vapor state.

Here's the word used, and a sentence from the Atlantic by Arthur C. Brooks.

You might think that because I am arguing that the happiest path is one in which we sublimate our true feelings and desires

through greater self-control, I am advocating in effect for inauthenticity. But that's not my

intention. Rather, I am arguing for authentic self-improvement.

To sublimate is to change the form, but not the essence. Physically speaking, a solid is said

to sublimate when it transforms into a gas without first becoming liquid, a prime example being

frozen carbon dioxide or dry ice, vaporizing at

room temperature. To sublimate psychologically is to change the outlet or means of one's

expression of desires and feelings from something unacceptable to something more culturally

or socially acceptable. A person might sublimate feelings of grief

following a disaster, for example, by devoting their time and energy to relief efforts. The word

sublimate comes from the Latin verb sublimare, meaning to elevate. Sublimare is also the ancestor of the

word sublime.

Sublimate itself once meant to elevate to a place of dignity or honor,

or to give a more elevated character to, but these meanings are now obsolete.

With your word of the day, I'm Peter Soalowski.

Visit Miriamwebster.com today for definitions, wordplay, and trending word lookups.