Sublimis

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Relating to something that is elevated in nature or character, often suggesting grandeur or excellence
2. Describing a state of being uplifting or transcendent, inspiring awe or admiration
3. Characterizing ideas or experiences that are sublime in quality, provoking deep emotional or spiritual responses

Etymology: Latin "sublimis" originally described things physically raised high: a soaring bird, a tower, the sky overhead. Its exact construction is uncertain. One proposal splits it into "sub" (up from below) and "limen," a threshold or lintel, so that something "sublimis" reached up to the lintel. Another links the second element to "limus," meaning slanting, which would describe something tilted upward. Neither explanation can be confirmed. Even in Latin, the adjective extended beyond physical height to rank, dignity, and lofty style. Its figurative sense of a mind or emotion lifted above the ordinary grew from the same picture of something rising above the rest. English took the adjective through French "sublime," so the modern sense of awe-inspiring grandeur developed from a plain image of elevation.

Synonyms: sublime, exalted, lofty, noble, majestic

Antonyms: base, lowly, common, inferior, mean