sublimed

Sublimed is the past tense and past participle of the verb sublimate. It is used to describe something that has undergone sublimation, a term that has both scientific and figurative applications. In technical writing, sublimed items are substances that have changed from solid to gas without passing through a liquid.

In chemistry, sublimation is a solid-to-gas phase transition that occurs under suitable temperature and pressure conditions. Substances that sublimate at or near room temperature include dry ice (solid carbon dioxide) and iodine. Sublimation is often exploited for purification, because many impurities remain in the original solid phase while the desired substance moves into the gas phase and can be collected and condensed elsewhere. The reverse process, deposition, forms a solid from a gas. Sublimed materials may require careful handling due to pressure changes and potential hazards associated with the vapors produced.

In figurative and philosophical usage, sublimation refers to channeling primitive or socially unacceptable impulses into higher, more acceptable expressions, such as artistic creation or constructive activity. In psychoanalytic theory, sublimation is a defense mechanism by which unacceptable drives are transformed into socially valued outcomes. A statement that something has been sublimed suggests refinement, exaltation, or redirection of energy into something more noble or productive.

Overall, sublimed denotes that a substance or energy has passed through the sublimation process or has been transformed into a more elevated form.