Sublime (Verb)
Meaning 1
Change or cause to change directly from a solid into a vapor without first melting; "sublime iodine"; "some salts sublime when heated".
Classification
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc..
Examples
- The dry ice sublimed quickly in the warm air.
- Some salts sublime when heated.
- Freeze-dried coffee sublimes almost instantaneously in hot water.
- Scientists studied the unique properties of carbon dioxide as it sublimes directly from a solid to a gas.
- The cameraphone's battery life can be extended by allowing the moisture to sublime after a dip in water.
Synonyms
Hypernyms
Meaning 2
Vaporize and then condense right back again.
Classification
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc..
Examples
- The atmospheric pressure caused the water to sublime from the ice cube, only to reappear as dew on the surrounding surfaces.
- During the drying process, the frozen carbon dioxide sublimes directly into its gaseous state, leaving no liquid behind.
- As the sun rises over the frozen lake, the ice begins to sublime, forming a misty veil that rises into the air.
- The iodine crystals sublime quickly upon heating, releasing a purple vapor that rapidly cools and recondenses on the surface of the container.
- In the high-altitude environment, the snowflakes sublime rapidly into water vapor, which then freezes back into smaller ice crystals in the same air mass.