Etymology
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sublime (adj.)

1580s, "expressing lofty ideas in an elevated manner," from French sublime (15c.), or directly from Latin sublimis "uplifted, high, borne aloft, lofty, exalted, eminent, distinguished," possibly originally "sloping up to the lintel," from sub "up to" (see sub-) + limen "lintel, threshold, sill" (see limit (n.)). The sublime (n.) "the sublime part of anything, that which is stately or imposing" is from 1670s. For Sublime Porte, former title of the Ottoman government, see Porte.

Entries linking to Sublime

sub- 
word-forming element meaning "under, beneath; behind; from under; resulting from further division," from Latin preposition sub "under, below, beneath, at the foot of," also "close to, up to, towards;" of time, "within, during;" figuratively "subject to, in the power of;" also "a little, somewhat" (as in sub-horridus "somewhat rough"), from PIE *(s)up- (perhaps representing *ex-upo-), a variant form of the root *upo "under," also "up from under." The Latin word also was used as a prefix and in various combinations.

In Latin assimilated to following -c-, -f-, -g-, -p-, and often -r- and -m-. In Old French the prefix appears in the full Latin form only "in learned adoptions of old Latin compounds" [OED], and in popular use it was represented by sous-, sou-; as in French souvenir from Latin subvenire, souscrire (Old French souzescrire) from subscribere, etc.

The original meaning is now obscured in many words from Latin (suggest, suspect, subject, etc.). The prefix is active in Modern English, sometimes meaning "subordinate" (as in subcontractor); "inferior" (17c., as in subhuman); "smaller" (18c.); "a part or division of" (c. 1800, as in subcontinent).
limit (n.)

c. 1400, "boundary, frontier," from Old French limite "a boundary," from Latin limitem (nominative limes) "a boundary, limit, border, embankment between fields," which is probably related to limen "threshold," and possibly from the base of limus "transverse, oblique," which is of uncertain origin. Originally of territory; general sense from early 15c. Colloquial sense of "the very extreme, the greatest degree imaginable" is from 1904.

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Definitions of sublime
1
sublime (adj.)
inspiring awe; "well-meaning ineptitude that rises to empyreal absurdity"- M.S.Dworkin; "empyrean aplomb"- Hamilton Basso;
the sublime beauty of the night
Synonyms: empyreal / empyrean
sublime (adj.)
worthy of adoration or reverence;
Synonyms: reverend
sublime (adj.)
lifted up or set high; "their hearts were jocund and sublime"- Milton;
sublime (adj.)
of high moral or intellectual value; elevated in nature or style; "argue in terms of high-flown ideals"- Oliver Franks;
Synonyms: exalted / elevated / grand / high-flown / high-minded / lofty / rarefied / rarified / idealistic / noble-minded
sublime (adj.)
greatest or maximal in degree; extreme;
the sublime absurdity of the creative process
His face assumed an expression of sublime conceit
Synonyms: supreme
2
sublime (v.)
vaporize and then condense right back again;
Synonyms: sublimate
sublime (v.)
change or cause to change directly from a solid into a vapor without first melting;
sublime iodine
some salts sublime when heated
Synonyms: sublimate
From wordnet.princeton.edu

Dictionary entries near sublime

subjunctive

sublease

sublet

sublimate

sublimation

sublime

subliminal

sublimity

sublingual

sublunary

subluxation

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