transcend means to pass beyond the limits of something. It carries an Arena rating of 1845, earned across 15 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, transcend ranks #44 of 17,135 for Most Malleable Words, #61 of 42,802 for Qualifying, #451 of 17,143 for Best Fossil-Poetry Words, #735 of 17,124 for Most Sublime Words.
transcend is pronounced /tɹæn(t)ˈsɛnd/.
Why “transcend” is a great word
To pass beyond the limits or range of something, especially in a surpassing or excellent manner. From Middle English *transcenden*, from Old French *transcender*, from Latin *transcendō* ("to climb over, step over, surpass"), from *trans-* ("over") + *scandō* ("to climb"), first recorded in English in the 14th century. Unlike "surpass," which implies exceeding another in degree, or "excel," which denotes superiority within a field, to transcend is to vault clean over the wall of comparison itself. It is the athlete who becomes pure motion, the melody that fractures into pure tone, the insight that dissolves the problem that contained it—a quiet victory over the confines of the condition.
Etymology
From Middle English transcenden, from Old French transcender, from Latin transcendō (“to climb over, step over, surpass, transcend”), from trans (“over”) + scandō (“to climb”); see scan; compare ascend, descend.
verb
- To pass beyond the limits of something.e.g.“We cannot transcend what we refuse to face.”
- To surpass, as in intensity or power; to excel.e.g.“How much her worth transcended all her kind.” — c. 1698, John Dryden, Epitaph on the Monument of a Fair Maiden Lady:
- To climb; to mount.e.g.“lights in the heavens transcending the region of the clouds”
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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