The word for today is…
sublimate (verb) – 1. (Chemistry) To cause (a solid or gas) to sublimate.
2. (a) To modify the natural expression of (a primitive, instinctual impulse) in a socially acceptable manner.
(b) To divert the energy associated with (an unacceptable impulse or drive) into an acceptable activity.
Source : The Free Dictionary
Etymology : To sublimate is to change the form, but not the essence. Physically speaking, it means to transform solid to vapor; psychologically, it means changing the outlet, or means, of expression from something base and inappropriate to something more positive or acceptable. The word sublimate comes from the Latin verb sublimare, which means “to lift up” or “to raise” and which is also the ancestor of our sublime. Sublimate itself once meant “to elevate to a place of dignity or honor” or “to give a more elevated character to,” but these meanings are now obsolete.
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