sublimation.

1. The change of a solid directly into a gas without first becoming liquid.

2. The channeling of an unacceptable or difficult impulse into an activity that is socially acceptable or constructive.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• sublimation of ice
• sublimation under low pressure

On the page

Under the chamber's low pressure, sublimation removed the frost without leaving a puddle.

Usage notes

Primary category: sci-fi. Forms: Usually uncountable; no ordinary plural in this sense. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: description, setting. Commonness: moderately common.