spiritualize
VerbOpen English WordNet
Verb (3)spiritualized, spiritualizing
- give a spiritual meaning to; read in a spiritual senseSynonyms: spiritualiseMore general interpret, construe
- elevate or idealize, in allusion to Christ's transfigurationSynonyms: transfigureglorifyMore general change, alter
- purify from the corrupting influences of the world“During his stay at the ashram he was spiritualized”Synonyms: spiritualiseMore general purify, purge
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Webster's Dictionary (1913)
Spir′it·u·al·ize transitive verb [past tense & past participle Spiritualized; present participle & verbal noun Spiritualizing.]
Origin: Cf. F. spiritualiser.
1. To refine intellectually or morally; to purify from the corrupting influence of the world; to give a spiritual character or tendency to; as, to spiritualize soul.
This seen in the clear air, and the whole spiritualized by endless recollections, fills the eye and the heart more forcibly than I can find words to say.— Thomas Carlyle
2. To give a spiritual meaning to; to take in a spiritual sense; — opposed to literalize.
3. Old Chem. To extract spirit from; also, to convert into, or impregnate with, spirit.
Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54