Word of the Day - 11/24/25
transcendent
/tranˈsendənt/(adj.): superior or supreme
Her artistic vision was truly transcendent, elevating the mundane to something sublime.
(adj.): beyond or above the range of normal or merely physical human experience
The mystic spoke of achieving a transcendent experience, a connection beyond the physical realm.
(adj.): (of God) existing apart from and not subject to the limitations of the material universe
Philosophers have long debated how a transcendent deity can interact with a finite world.
Word Origin
The word 'transcendent' originates from the Latin 'transcendentem', the present participle of 'transcendere', meaning 'to climb over or beyond, surmount, overstep'. This Latin verb is composed of 'trans-' (across, beyond, through) and 'scandere' (to climb).
Words with similar origins include 'ascend' (from Latin 'ad-' meaning 'to' + 'scandere' meaning 'to climb'), 'descend' (from Latin 'de-' meaning 'down' + 'scandere'), and 'transmit' (from Latin 'trans-' + 'mittere' meaning 'to send').