transubstantiate

verb tran·sub·stan·ti·ate \ ˌtran(t)-səb-ˈstan(t)-shē-ˌāt \

Definition of transubstantiate

transubstantiated; transubstantiating

transitive verb

1 : to effect transubstantiation in (sacramental bread and wine)

2 : to change into another substance : transmute

intransitive verb

: to undergo transubstantiation

Examples of transubstantiate in a Sentence

the novelist transubstantiated the joys and sorrows of his early years into a charming fable about childhood

Recent Examples of transubstantiate from the Web

Through football, a one-hour spectacle of peak human performance and perfect pageantry is transubstantiated in real time into the country’s sustaining mythology.

— vann r. newkirk ii, The Atlantic, "No Country for Colin Kaepernick," 11 Aug. 2017
And then there was Evie, the most beloved, who had transubstantiated into a postcard from Reno.

— sherman alexie, The New Yorker, "Clean, Cleaner, Cleanest," 5 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'transubstantiate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of transubstantiate

Middle English transsubstanciaten, from Medieval Latin transubstantiatus, past participle of transubstantiare, from Latin trans- + substantia substance

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

See Words from the same year