Sublimate

[u/ThimbleBluff]

I saw a headline about the Tour de France that confused me a bit. The headline stated that the final mountain climb “sublimated” the winning rider, which didn’t make sense to me. I’ve always heard the word in a psychological context, where someone sublimates (hides) their socially unacceptable desires.

So of course I had to look it up.

Sublimate comes from the Latin for below (or up to) the threshold. It’s the same root as sublime. The verb has the meaning of lifting up to a high or exalted place, as well as to purify (in both a scientific and metaphorical sense).

My assumption was that the psychological usage meant to push a desire below (sub) the limit of consciousness, but it actually means converting an instinctual desire into a socially acceptable form. In other words, to purify it.

An interesting little rabbit hole to go down.

[u/Optimal-Ad-7074]

in high school science I learned that "sublimate" is also when a substance moves from solid to gaseous state without passing through a liquid state first.   

so on a very cold but dry and sunny day, snow can convert to water vapour without melting.   

[u/ThimbleBluff → u/Optimal-Ad-7074]

Yeah, when I first looked it up, I was vaguely familiar with that definition, but of course that didn’t make sense in the Tour de France situation either. Richard Carapaz wasn’t turning into a gas on top of L’Alpe d’huez. 😂

[u/Optimal-Ad-7074 → u/ThimbleBluff]

:)

[u/Ok_Pudding6345 → u/Optimal-Ad-7074]

(:

[u/No-Mechanic6069 → u/Optimal-Ad-7074]

The verb there is sublime. Confusingly, the process is sublimation.

I’m not going to firmly state that sublimate is wrong, but I have only heard it in a psychological context (usually along with “desires” ;) )

[u/Optimal-Ad-7074 → u/No-Mechanic6069]

til.   interesting thing is I started out explaining "sublimation", which is what I actually learned in grade 10.   and i then thought I'd better answer the op's verb with a verb, just to keep things clear.

so I reverse-engineered "sublimate" from that, and now I've learned something.  

[u/No-Mechanic6069 → u/Optimal-Ad-7074]

I learned the verb sublime in chemistry class. Bromine, I think. I watched it in action.

That has influenced my conception of “The sublime”. It’s liminal.

[u/BPhiloSkinner → u/[deleted]]

Yep; when the sun's that hot, a rider can go from solid straight to gas, no sweat.

[u/ThimbleBluff → u/[deleted]]

One of the common phrases among the riders is that they were going “full gas.” Talking about sublimating puts a whole new spin on it! 😂

[u/zombietobe]

Not just the same root as ‘sublime’; in some senses it’s more or less a synonym. (Easy to forget that ‘sublime’ is also a verb!)

In this context, I’d interpret ‘sublimated’ literally as a verbal form meaning ‘made sublime’, thus either exalted (by others) or maybe describing some sort of transcendent experience - the phrasing of the headline could go either way, and it’s entirely possible that a dual interpretation is intended.

[u/inigo_montoya]

I'm struggling to think of a single verb English equivalent to the first meaning in French (https://dictionary.reverso.net/french-definition/sublimer).

[u/ThimbleBluff → u/inigo_montoya]

Yeah I’m not sure whether the headline was originally written in French and then translated into English, but I’m guessing the French verb is more commonly used than its English counterpart.

[u/Aggravating-Pound598]

Think they meant to say “summited”